1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: to a great or intense degree
want something badly
Phrases
badly off for
British
: strongly in need of (something or someone)
It may seem pie in the sky in the current financial climate, but few could argue that for a city of its size and prestige, Edinburgh is badly off for large-scale sports facilities.—
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
: fairly or acceptably well
The economy is doing not badly and looks even better than it really is.—Tom Teepen
Tom Teepen
: to have an unfavorable or low opinion of (someone or something)
Will you think badly of me if I disagree?
Examples of badly in a Sentence
He played badly but I played even worse.
The failure reflects badly on the administration.
She wanted the job badly.
I'm badly in need of a vacation.
His fingers were badly frozen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Pritzker had positioned himself as a check on the mayor’s worst impulses and the voice of fiscal and economic reason in a state and city badly needing adult supervision.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
Last but not least, Jimmy and Jey are badly needed to help salvage Raw’s tag team division.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Tamura killed Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, 43, and badly wounded an NFL executive leaving work, who called his office to warn them a shooter was on the loose.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2025
He was beaten badly on a slant by Lambert-Smith for a touchdown.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
Last but not least, Jimmy and Jey are badly needed to help salvage Raw’s tag team division.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Tamura killed Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, 43, and badly wounded an NFL executive leaving work, who called his office to warn them a shooter was on the loose.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2025
He was beaten badly on a slant by Lambert-Smith for a touchdown.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
badly
adverb
bad·ly
ˈbad-lē 
worse
ˈwərs
; worst
ˈwərst
1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: very much
wanted the jeans badly
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share