bad 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbad How to pronounce bad (audio)
Definition of badnext
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess

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2
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable stealing is just plain bad

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3
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm sitting too close to the television is said to be bad for the eyes

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4
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior the children were bad, so they didn't get dessert

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5
as in sad
feeling unhappiness hearing about the world's miseries always makes him feel bad

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6
as in defective
having a fault a bad video connection that is causing some picture loss

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7
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown I think the milk has turned bad

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8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses the air in the damp basement had a very bad smell

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9
as in terrible
of low quality bad shoes that fell apart within a week

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10
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body I've been feeling bad all week with this cold

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11
as in null
having no legal or binding force all known claims on the property were dismissed by the court as bad

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12
as in malicious
slang having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude

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bad

2 of 3

adverb

as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test

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bad

3 of 3

noun

as in wrong
that which is morally unacceptable there's bad and good in people of every race and nationality

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bad
Adjective
Avoiding conflict entirely, which Gottman calls stonewalling, tends to make things worse. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026 But Tuesday’s shaking, which toppled shelves and hurled computers to the floor, was worse in Yatsushiro than anything Matsushita experienced a decade ago. — USA Today, 30 July 2026
Adverb
Pull leftovers that still need to be eaten to the front, along with any foods that are going to go bad soon. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2025 This can make your water smell bad, affect the taste, and could lead to illness. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Nov. 2025
Noun
In times when the city's bad seems to overshadow the good, Daniels and others like him can be a guidepost for generations to come. — Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025 While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads. — Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad
  1. unacceptable
  2. evil
  3. harmful
  4. naughty
  5. sad
  6. defective
  7. rotten
  8. unpleasant
Adjective
  • The episode has added to a growing chorus of concern among AI safety advocates, who argue that agents capable of independently identifying and exploiting unknown vulnerabilities across multiple companies’ infrastructure present an unacceptable risk.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • Conditional approval remains a possibility for firms demonstrating no unacceptable risks.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • The series is chock full of supernatural happenings, with evil and malicious beings (both human and not) around every corner.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Figures tangle in a perpetual struggle between good and evil, but always with the reassurance that goodness will prevail.
    — The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • The Australian watchdog's claim, filed to the federal court Wednesday, said the unlimited broadcast size of Telegram channels meant the app must take responsibility for culling harmful material.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
  • During the 2015-16 season, for instance, Dungeness crabs off the coast of California were infected by a harmful algal bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia, which causes domoic acid poisoning in crabs, fish, birds and marine mammals.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • When Martín is kidnapped by a monster, Cleo ventures into the jungle to rescue him, aided by an elderly witch and a naughty anteater.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • People would hang from windows, encouraging you to do naughty things, and my thumb has never been sorer from back-and-forth gestures.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of naughty
Adjective
  • Biden as the progressive hero, and Obama as the sad, weak appendage to the Reagan era.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
  • But my partner’s son is sad his own father is also less involved but doesn’t see the cause.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 29 July 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The voluntary recall was initiated after PT Organics Limited’s packaging supplier recalled a production run of defective pouches last week.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • Sherrill faulted the software vendor responsible for the defective system, the MVC for taking roughly a year to resolve the problem, and the previous administration for failing to disclose the error once it had been identified publicly.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026
Definition of defective
Adjective
  • The rotten culture that is seeping ever deeper into football was exemplified by the announcement that one of the game’s most successful referees had retired.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 23 July 2026
  • Eventually, the plant can’t absorb enough water through its rotten roots to survive.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 July 2026
Definition of rotten
Adjective
  • Combined with massaging seats, powerful climate control and extensive sound insulation, the technology turns an unpleasant commute into something approaching a sensory deprivation chamber.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Chief on consumers' minds is cyclosporiasis, an unpleasant intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which has recently dominated headlines amid a tidal wave of cases.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant

Phrases Containing bad

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backyards
bad
bad blood
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Cite this Entry

“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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