Bad
Contents
English
Adjective
Bad (comparative worse or (nonstandard) badder, superlative worst or (nonstandard) baddest)
- Not good; unfavorable; negative.
- You have bad credit.
- Seemingly non-appropriate, in manners, etc.
- It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
- Not suitable or fitting.
- Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?
- Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
- Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved.
- Evil; wicked.
- Be careful. There are bad people in the world.
- Faulty; not functional.
- I had a bad headlight.
- Of food, spoiled, rotten, overripe.
- These apples have gone bad.
- Of breath, malodorous, foul.
- Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone.
- Bold and daring.
- Did you see what he wrote on that guy's forehead? What a bad ass!
- Severe, urgent (of a need or want).
- He is in bad need of a haircut.
Notes
If a person says a food (such as chocolate-covered lard) is "bad for you", that person usually means that the food is "unhealthy". Some foods (such as grapes) are bad for dogs (meaning they are poisonous to dogs) but not bad for humans. Non-foods can also be "bad for you": eating arsenic is bad for you, and smoking cigarettes is also bad for you.
Adverb
Bad (comparative worse, superlative worst)
- (now colloquial) Badly.
- I didn't do too bad in the last exam.
Noun
Bad (uncountable)Synonyms for Bad
- (not good): unfavorable, negative
- (non-appropriate, in manners, etc.):
- (not suitable or fitting):
- (tricky; stressful; unpleasant):
- (evil, wicked): wicked, evil, vile, vicious
- (not functional): faulty
- (of food): rotten
- (of breath): malodorous, foul
- (bold, daring):
- (of a need or want): severe, urgent, dire
- false, spurious, disgusting, wrong, corrupt, ill, base, abandoned, vicious, abominable, detestable, deficient, inferior, lousy, off, poor, punk, substandard, unacceptable, ungodly, unsatisfactory, wanting, wretched
Antonyms for Bad
good, right, worthy, competent, benevolent, true, honest, just, sincere, beneficial, advantageous, profitable, virtuous, reputable, upright, propitious, choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient.
Derived terms
Pronunciation
Verb
Bad
Verb
Bad (third-person singular simple present Bads, present participle badding, simple past and past participle badded)
- (UK, dialect, transitive) To shell (a walnut).
