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bad

When something is not good, it's bad. A bad dog goes to the bathroom in the house, and bad milk has gone sour.

Bad has slightly different meanings depending on what it's describing, but the overall idea is the same: not good. If you get a bad connection on the telephone, there's something wrong with the line or phone. If someone gives you a bad check, there's no money to back up the check. If you do a bad job on a test, you got a C if you're lucky. In movies, a villain is a bad guy. Also, when someone does something wrong, they might say "My bad!"

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: bad

1
 adjn
having undesirable or negative qualities
that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency
2
 adjadv
very intense
very much; strongly
3
 adj
physically unsound or diseased
4
 adj
(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition
5
 adj
not financially safe or secure
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: bad
1

adj having undesirable or negative qualities

“a bad report card”
“his sloppy appearance made a bad impression”
“a bad little boy”
“clothes in bad shape”
“a bad cut”
“bad luck”
“the news was very bad”
“the reviews were bad”
“the pay is bad”
“it was a bad light for reading”
“the movie was a bad choice”
Synonyms
worst
(superlative of `bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition
worse
(comparative of `bad') inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
unfavorable, unfavourable
not encouraging or approving or pleasing
abominable, atrocious, awful, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable
exceptionally bad or displeasing
corked, corky
(of wine) tainted in flavor by a cork containing excess tannin
deplorable, distressing, lamentable, pitiful, sad, sorry
bad; unfortunate
fearful, frightful
extremely distressing
hard, tough
unfortunate or hard to bear
hopeless
(informal to emphasize how bad it is) beyond hope of management or reform
horrid
exceedingly bad
crappy, icky, lousy, rotten, shitty, stinking, stinky
very bad
ill
distressing
incompetent, unskilled
not doing a good job
mediocre
poor to middling in quality
naughty
badly behaved
negative
having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant
poor
unsatisfactory
pretty
(used ironically) unexpectedly bad
no-good, rubber
returned for lack of funds
severe
very bad in degree or extent
swingeing
severe; punishingly bad
uncool
(spoken slang) unfashionable and boring
unfavorable, unfavourable
not favorable
unsuitable
not conducive to good moral development
evil
morally bad or wrong
disobedient
not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority
Antonyms:
good
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
best
(superlative of `good') having the most positive qualities
better
(comparative of `good') superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
favorable, favourable
encouraging or approving or pleasing
bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great, groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, smashing, swell
very good
good enough
adequately good for the circumstances
goodish
moderately good of its kind
hot
very good; often used in the negative
redeeming
compensating for some fault or defect
acceptable, satisfactory
meeting requirements
solid
characterized by good substantial quality
superb
surpassingly good
well behaved, well-behaved
(usually of children) someone who behaves in a manner that the speaker believes is correct
good
morally admirable
obedient
dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority
respectable
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
show more antonyms...

adj capable of harming

“bad air”
“smoking is bad for you”
Synonyms
harmful
causing or capable of causing harm

adj characterized by wickedness or immorality

“led a very bad life”
Synonyms
evil
morally bad or wrong

adj below average in quality or performance

“a bad chess player”
“a bad recital”
Synonyms
inferior
of low or inferior quality

adj not working properly

“a bad telephone connection”
Synonyms:
defective
malfunctioning, nonfunctional
not performing or able to perform its regular function

adj nonstandard

“so-called bad grammar”
Synonyms
nonstandard
not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community

n that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency

“take the bad with the good”
Synonyms:
badness
Antonyms:
good, goodness
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
Types:
show 12 types...
hide 12 types...
unworthiness
the quality or state of lacking merit or value
undesirability
the quality possessed by something that should be avoided
worse
something inferior in quality or condition or effect
evil
that which causes harm or destruction or misfortune
unsoundness
not mentally or physically healthy
liability
the quality of being something that holds you back
inadvisability
the quality of being ill-advised
baseness, contemptibility, despicability, despicableness, sordidness
unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values
disgracefulness, ignominiousness, shamefulness
unworthiness meriting public disgrace and dishonor
Four Horsemen
(New Testament) the four evils that will come at the end of the world: conquest rides a white horse; war a red horse; famine a black horse; plague a pale horse
weak point
an attribute that is inadequate or deficient
disadvantage
the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position
Type of:
quality
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
2

adj very intense

“a bad headache”
“had a big (or bad) shock”
“a bad earthquake”
“a bad storm”
Synonyms:
big
intense
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree

adv very much; strongly

“he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it”
Synonyms:
badly

adv with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly')

“it hurts bad”
“we need water bad”
Synonyms:
badly
3

adj physically unsound or diseased

“has a bad back”
“a bad heart”
“bad teeth”
Synonyms:
unfit, unsound
unhealthy
not in or exhibiting good health in body or mind

adj feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')

“my throat feels bad”
“she felt bad all over”
Synonyms:
tough
uncomfortable
providing or experiencing physical discomfort

adj feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

“he felt bad about breaking the vase”
Synonyms:
regretful, sorry
penitent, repentant
feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
Antonyms:
unregretful, unregretting
feeling no regret
4

adj (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition

“bad meat”
Synonyms:
spoiled, spoilt
stale
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
5

adj not financially safe or secure

“a bad investment”
Synonyms:
high-risk, risky, speculative
unsound
not sound financially

adj not capable of being collected

“a bad (or uncollectible) debt”
Synonyms:
uncollectible
invalid
having no cogency or legal force

adj reproduced fraudulently

“like a bad penny...”
Synonyms:
forged
counterfeit, imitative
not genuine; imitating something superior
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