| / English Dictionary |
BAD
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected forms: worse , worst
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency
Example:
take the bad with the good
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("bad" is a kind of...):
quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bad"):
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)
Antonym:
good (that which is pleasing or valuable or useful)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Feeling physical discomfort or pain ('tough' is occasionally used colloquially for 'bad')
Example:
he was feeling tough after a restless night
Synonyms:
bad; tough
Classified under:
Similar:
uncomfortable (providing or experiencing physical discomfort)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Derivation:
badness (used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition
Example:
a refrigerator full of spoilt food
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
stale (lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Not working properly
Example:
a defective appliance
Synonyms:
bad; defective
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
malfunctioning; nonfunctional (not performing or able to perform its regular function)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Reproduced fraudulently
Example:
a forged twenty dollar bill
Synonyms:
bad; forged
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
counterfeit; imitative (not genuine; imitating something superior)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Having undesirable or negative qualities
Example:
the movie was a bad choice
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unsuitable (not conducive to good moral development)
uncool ((spoken slang) unfashionable and boring)
swingeing (severe; punishingly bad)
severe (very bad in degree or extent)
no-good; rubber (returned for lack of funds)
pretty ((used ironically) unexpectedly bad)
negative (having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant)
naughty (badly behaved)
mediocre (poor to middling in quality)
incompetent; unskilled (not doing a good job)
ill (distressing)
crappy; icky; lousy; rotten; shitty; stinking; stinky (very bad)
horrid (exceedingly bad)
hopeless ((informal to emphasize how bad it is) beyond hope of management or reform)
hard; tough (unfortunate or hard to bear)
fearful; frightful (extremely distressing)
deplorable; distressing; lamentable; pitiful; sad; sorry (bad; unfortunate)
corked; corky ((of wine) tainted in flavor by a cork containing excess tannin)
abominable; atrocious; awful; dreadful; painful; terrible; unspeakable (exceptionally bad or displeasing)
Also:
disobedient (not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority)
evil (morally bad or wrong)
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)
Attribute:
quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)
Antonym:
good (having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified)
Derivation:
badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Characterized by wickedness or immorality
Example:
led a very bad life
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
evil (morally bad or wrong)
Derivation:
badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
Example:
he felt bad about breaking the vase
Synonyms:
bad; regretful; sorry
Classified under:
Adjectives
Also:
penitent; repentant (feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Capable of harming
Example:
smoking is bad for you
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
harmful (causing or capable of causing harm)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Physically unsound or diseased
Example:
unsound teeth
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unhealthy (not in or exhibiting good health in body or mind)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Very intense
Example:
a bad storm
Synonyms:
bad; big
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
intense (possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree)
Derivation:
badness (used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Not financially safe or secure
Example:
speculative business enterprises
Synonyms:
bad; high-risk; risky; speculative
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unsound (not sound financially)
Sense 12
Meaning:
Nonstandard
Example:
so-called bad grammar
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
nonstandard (not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community)
Domain category:
linguistics (the scientific study of language)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Below average in quality or performance
Example:
a bad recital
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
inferior (of low or inferior quality)
Derivation:
badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)
Sense 14
Meaning:
Not capable of being collected
Example:
a bad (or uncollectible) debt
Synonyms:
bad; uncollectible
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
invalid (having no cogency or legal force)
III. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Very much; strongly
Example:
he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it
Synonyms:
bad; badly
Classified under:
Sense 2
Meaning:
With great intensity ('bad' is a nonstandard variant for 'badly')
Example:
we need water bad
Synonyms:
bad; badly
Classified under:
Context examples:
I hear that it was during the night, sir, but it has got worse, and the whole place is in a blaze.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
“It is a bad thing to speak of, but I will answer you the truth.”
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
All things therefore seemed to point to this; that I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
I observed the doctor sniffing and sniffing, like someone tasting a bad egg.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
The first half is the worst half, and we might cut his time if all goes well.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And there was Gertrude Le Boeuf, as fair a maiden as eye could see, but as bad and bitter as the rest of them.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Symptoms include: • Weight loss • Muscle weakness • Fatigue that gets worse over time • Low blood pressure • Patchy or dark skin
(Addison Disease, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
The presence of TP53 mutations indicates worse prognosis.
(Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction, NCI Thesaurus)
Something that makes a condition worse.
(Aggravating factor, NCI Dictionary)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
