What does "bad" mean?
Something that is bad; a harm or evil.
Bad
/bæd/ adj, adv, intj, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is bad; a harm or evil.
- Grammar: bad is listed as adj, adv, intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: defective, abandoned, abhorrent, abominable.
- Useful contrasts: adequate, advantageous, beautiful.
- Usage evidence: It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight.
How to use "bad"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bad" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bad" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bad" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bad" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bad" is acting as adj, adv, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "defective" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bad", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that is bad; a harm or evil. slang
"We idealize God as supergoodness in order to protect against a bad that we cannot unite with ourselves."
- 2 that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency wordnet
- 3 Error; mistake. slang
""My bad, My bad!” Juwan yelled, scowling"
- 4 An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good. countable, slang, uncountable
"Imports are an economic good but exports an economic bad. Exports must be produced but are enjoyed by foreign consumers."
Verb
- 1 alternative past of bid. See bade. alternative, archaic, form-of, past, slang
- 2 To shell (a walnut). British, dialectal, slang, transitive
"A curious specimen of Gloucestershire dialect came out in an assault case heard by the Gloucester court magistrates on Saturday. One of the witnesses, speaking of what a girl was doing at the time the assault took place, said she was ‘badding’ walnuts in a pigstye. The word is peculiarly provincial: to ‘bad’ walnuts is to strip away the husk. The walnut, too, is often called a ‘bannut,’ and hence the old Gloucestershire phrase, ‘Come an’ bad the bannuts.’"
Adjective
- 1 Of low quality.
"That movie was really bad!"
- 2 Not covered by funds on account. informal, not-comparable
"He gave me a bad check."
- 3 Bold, daring, and tough. slang
"He's the baddest guy in town!"
- 4 Inaccurate; incorrect
"A bad guess."
- 5 Good, superlative, excellent, cool. slang
"Man, that new car you bought is bad!"
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 Unfavorable; negative; not good.
"Hiring practice is very bad in this company."
- 7 Overly promiscuous, licentious. US, slang
"You leave your girl around me; if she's bad she's gonna get stuck."
- 8 Not suitable or fitting.
"Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?"
- 9 Very attractive; hot, sexy. slang
"Hopefully I can pull some bad bitches tonight."
- 10 Not appropriate, of manners etc.
"It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full."
- 11 Used without a copula to mock people who oppose something without having any real understanding of it. Internet, sarcastic, slang
"Orange Man bad"
- 12 Harmful, especially unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.
"Lard is bad for you. Smoking is bad for you, too. Grapes are bad for dogs but not for humans."
- 13 Attractive due to (one's) rebellious nature. slang
"That boy is the baddest!"
- 14 Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.
"Joe's in a bad way; he can't even get out of bed."
- 15 The injured or weak one of a pair of body parts, where the other one is healthy.
"I accidentally put my weight on my bad leg and fell over."
- 16 Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient. childish, often
"Stop being bad, or you will get a spanking!"
- 17 Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
"Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved."
- 18 Evil; wicked. childish, sometimes
"Be careful. There are bad people in the world."
- 19 Faulty; not functional.
"I had a bad headlight."
- 20 Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
"These apples have gone bad."
- 21 Malodorous; foul.
"Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone."
- 22 False; counterfeit; illegitimate.
"They were caught trying to pass bad coinage."
- 23 Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.
"I'm pretty bad at speaking French."
- 24 Of poor physical appearance.
"I look really bad whenever I get less than seven hours of sleep."
- 25 Severe, urgent.
"He is in bad need of a haircut."
- 26 Regretful, guilty, or ashamed.
"I feel so bad for betraying him!"
- 27 Vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous.
"Don't you dare speak to me with that bad language!"
- 28 Not worth it.
"The expensive purse was a bad buy."
Adjective
- 1 feeling physical discomfort or pain (‘tough’ is occasionally used colloquially for ‘bad’) wordnet
- 2 (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition wordnet
- 3 not working properly wordnet
- 4 reproduced fraudulently wordnet
- 5 having undesirable or negative qualities wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 characterized by wickedness or immorality wordnet
- 7 feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone wordnet
- 8 capable of harming wordnet
- 9 physically unsound or diseased wordnet
- 10 serious or severe wordnet
- 11 not financially safe or secure wordnet
- 12 nonstandard wordnet
- 13 below average in quality or performance wordnet
- 14 not capable of being collected wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Badly; poorly. colloquial, slang
"I didn't do too bad in the last exam."
- 2 Badly; severely, extremely, passionately, eagerly. emphatic, intensifier, slang
"Please come back, baby. I miss you so bad!"
Adverb
- 1 very much; strongly wordnet
- 2 with great intensity (‘bad’ is a nonstandard variant for ‘badly’) wordnet
Intj
- 1 Used to scold a misbehaving child or pet. slang
"Bad! You know you're not allowed in the kitchen after dinner."
Example
"It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bad"?
Common synonyms include: defective, abandoned, abhorrent, abominable, abominable, abomination.
How do you use "bad" in a sentence?
It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight.
How do you pronounce "bad"?
Pronounced /bæd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”). Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun *badą, whence also Proto-Germanic *badōną (“to frighten”), Old Saxon undarbadōn (“to frighten”), Norwegian Nynorsk bada (“to weigh down, press”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, press, push, oppress”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English bad, from Old English bæd, first- and third-person singular indicative past tense of biddan (“to ask”).
Etymology 3
Unknown.