Meaning & Definition of Bad in English

1. That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency

• "Take the bad with the good"

1. 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"

2. Very intense

• "A bad headache"

• "In a big rage"

• "Had a big (or bad) shock"

• "A bad earthquake"

• "A bad storm"

3. Feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')

• "My throat feels bad"

• "She felt bad all over"

• "He was feeling tough after a restless night"

4. (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition

• "Bad meat"

• "A refrigerator full of spoilt food"

5. Feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

• "Felt regretful over his vanished youth"

• "Regretful over mistakes she had made"

• "He felt bad about breaking the vase"

6. Not capable of being collected

• "A bad (or uncollectible) debt"

7. Below average in quality or performance

• "A bad chess player"

• "A bad recital"

8. Nonstandard

• "So-called bad grammar"

9. Not financially safe or secure

• "A bad investment"

• "High risk investments"

• "Anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky"

• "Speculative business enterprises"

10. Physically unsound or diseased

• "Has a bad back"

• "A bad heart"

• "Bad teeth"

• "An unsound limb"

• "Unsound teeth"

11. Capable of harming

• "Bad air"

• "Smoking is bad for you"

12. Characterized by wickedness or immorality

• "Led a very bad life"

13. Reproduced fraudulently

• "Like a bad penny..."

• "A forged twenty dollar bill"

14. Not working properly

• "A bad telephone connection"

• "A defective appliance"

1. With great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly')

• "The injury hurt badly"

• "The buildings were badly shaken"

• "It hurts bad"

• "We need water bad"

2. Very much

• Strongly

• "I wanted it badly enough to work hard for it"

• "The cables had sagged badly"

• "They were badly in need of help"

• "He wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it"