bad

[ bad ]

/ bæd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bad ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, worse, worst; (Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.

not good in any manner or degree.

having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible: There is no such thing as a bad boy.

of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient: a bad diamond; a bad spark plug.

inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use: bad heating; Living conditions in some areas are very bad.

inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty: a bad guess.

invalid, unsound, or false: a bad insurance claim; bad judgment.

causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful: Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.

suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill: He felt bad from eating the green apples.

not healthy or in good physical condition; diseased, decayed, or physically weakened: A bad heart kept him out of the army.

tainted, spoiled, or rotten, especially to the point of being inedible: The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.

having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency; unfavorable: The drought is bad for the farmers. His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.

causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance; disagreeable; unpleasant: I had a bad flight to Chicago.

easily provoked to anger; irascible: a bad temper.

cross, irritable, or surly: If I don't have my morning coffee, I'm in a bad mood all day.

more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual; severe: a bad attack of asthma.

causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction: a bad flood.

regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset: He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.

disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving: If you're bad at school, you'll go to bed without supper.

disreputable or dishonorable: He's getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.

displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment: a bad painting; Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.

causing distress; unfortunate or unfavorable: I'm afraid I have bad news for you.

not suitable or appropriate; disadvantageous or dangerous: It was a bad day for fishing.

inclement; considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc.: We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.

disagreeable or offensive to the senses: a bad odor.

exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity: The room was decorated in bad taste.

not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct; coarse: bad manners.

(of a word, speech, or writing)

vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous: bad language.
not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect: He speaks bad English.

unattractive, especially because of a lack of pleasing proportions: She has a bad figure.

(of the complexion) marred by defects; pockmarked or pimply; blemished: bad skin.

not profitable or worth the price paid: The land was a bad buy.

Commerce. deemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss: a bad debt.

ill-spent; wasted: Don't throw good money after bad money.

counterfeit; not genuine: There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.

having the character of a villain; villainous: In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.

Sports. failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court; missing the mark; not well aimed.

Slang. outstandingly excellent; first-rate: He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.

noun

that which is bad: You have to take the bad with the good.

a bad condition, character, or quality: His health seemed to go from bad to worse.

(used with a plural verb) evil persons collectively (usually preceded by the): The bad are always stirring up trouble.

adverb Informal.

badly: He wanted it bad enough to steal it.

Idioms for bad

bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances; destitute: His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job. Also badly off.Compare well-off.

go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally; go to ruin: She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.

in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.

in bad, Informal.

in trouble or distress.
in disfavor: He's in bad with his father-in-law.

my bad, Slang. my fault! my mistake!

not bad,

tolerably good; not without merit: The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
not difficult: Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.

Also not so bad, not too bad.

too bad, unfortunate or disappointing: It's too bad that he didn't go to college.

to the bad, in arrears: He's $100 to the bad on his debt.

Origin of bad

1250–1300; Middle English badde, perhaps akin to Old English bæddel hermaphrodite, bædling womanish man

SYNONYMS FOR bad

2 depraved, corrupt, base, sinful, criminal, atrocious.

10 putrefied.

21 adverse, unlucky, unhappy.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bad ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for bad

2. Bad, evil, ill, wicked are closest in meaning in reference to that which is lacking in moral qualities or is actually vicious and reprehensible. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits. Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil: ill will; ill-natured. Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan.

usage note for bad

The adjective bad meaning “unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,” is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing: I feel bad from overeating. She felt badly about her friend's misfortune.
When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs: She reacted badly to the criticism. Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts: I didn't do too bad on the tests. He wants money so bad it hurts. See also badly, good.

OTHER WORDS FROM bad

bad·ness, noun

Words nearby bad

baculiform, baculine, baculite, baculum, bacău, bad, bad actor, bad apple, bad bank, bad blood, bad breath

Definition for bad (2 of 4)

bad ²

[ bad ]

/ bæd /

verb Archaic.

a simple past tense of bid¹.

Definition for bad (3 of 4)

bid ¹

[ bid ]

/ bɪd /

verb (used with object), bade or (Archaic) bad for 1, 2, 5 or bid for 3, 4; bid·den or bid for 1, 2, 5 or bid for 3, 4; bid·ding.

to command; order; direct: to bid them depart.

to express (a greeting, farewell, benediction, or wish): to bid good night.

Commerce. to offer (a certain sum) as the price one will pay or charge: They bid $25,000 and got the contract.

Cards. to enter a bid of (a given quantity or suit): to bid two no-trump.

to summon by invitation; invite.

verb (used without object), bade or (Archaic) bad for 6 or bid for 7; bid·den or bid for 6 or bid for 7; bid·ding.

to command; order; direct: I will do as you bid.

to make a bid: She bid at the auction for the old chair.

noun

an act or instance of bidding.

Cards.

an offer to make a specified number of points or to take a specified number of tricks.
the amount of such an offer.
the turn of a person to bid.

an invitation: a bid to join the club.

an attempt to attain some goal or purpose: a bid for election.

Also called bid price. Stock Exchange. the highest price a prospective buyer is willing to pay for a security at a given moment.

Verb Phrases past and past participle bid, present participle bid·ding.

bid in, Commerce. to overbid all offers for (property) at an auction in order to retain ownership.

bid up, Commerce. to increase the market price of by increasing bids.

Origin of bid

before 900; Middle English bidden, Old English biddan to beg, ask; cognate with Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old High German bittan (German bitten), Old Norse bithja, Gothic bidjan; all < Germanic *bid-ja- (< Indo-European *bhidh-) command, akin to Greek peíthein to persuade, inspire with trust, English bide

SYNONYMS FOR bid

1 charge; require, enjoin.

3 offer, tender, proffer.

8 offer, proposal; proffer.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bid ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bid

bid·der, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bid

bidder bitter

Definition for bad (4 of 4)

bid ²

[ bid ]

/ bɪd /

verb Archaic.

past participle of bide.

Example sentences from the Web for bad

We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.

How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech |Nick Gillespie |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
They all immediately dashed out to their car to catch the bad guys.

Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown |Michael Daly |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Ass-kicking, bad guy-killing Carter is just a future spinster.

Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy |Melissa Leon |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Terrorism is bad news anywhere, but especially rough on Odessa, where the city motto seems to be “make love, not war.”

Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine? |Anna Nemtsova |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

We, on the other hand, are the ones who are making it bad, and the ones with the power to change that.

Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism |Arthur Chu |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Some numbers have a bad influence for him, and there are good numbers.

Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, January 1900 |Various
Altogether, it was a nice scrambling, homelike expedition, if I had not come back with such a bad headache.

Up the Country |Emily Eden
How are we to know what is right and wrong, and what are our motives for approving and disapproving the good and the bad?

The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I. |Sir Leslie Stephen
It looks to me as though Pretty Sweet was in a bad hole, and no mistake.

The Girls of Central High Aiding the Red Cross |Gertrude W. Morrison
Shure, they were bad enough to say he was puttin' the money in his own pocket, and dem goin' to their juty every month.

My New Curate |P.A. Sheehan

British Dictionary definitions for bad (1 of 3)

bad ¹

/ (bæd) /

adjective worse or worst

not good; of poor quality; inadequate; inferior bad workmanship; bad soil; bad light for reading

(often foll by at) lacking skill or talent; incompetent a bad painter; bad at sports

(often foll by for) harmful bad air; smoking is bad for you

immoral; evil a bad life

naughty; mischievous; disobedient a bad child

rotten; decayed; spoiled a bad egg

severe; intense a bad headache

incorrect; wrong; faulty bad pronunciation

ill or in pain (esp in the phrase feel bad)

regretful, sorry, or upset (esp in the phrase feel bad about)

unfavourable; distressing bad news; a bad business

offensive; unpleasant; disagreeable bad language; bad temper

not valid or sound; void a bad cheque

not recoverable a bad debt

badder or baddest slang good; excellent

go from bad to worse to deteriorate even more

go bad to putrefy; spoil

in a bad way informal

seriously ill, through sickness or injury
in trouble of any kind

in someone's bad books See book (def. 21)

make the best of a bad job to manage as well as possible in unfavourable circumstances

not bad or not so bad informal passable; fair; fairly good

not half bad informal very good

too bad informal (often used dismissively) regrettable

noun

unfortunate or unpleasant events collectively (often in the phrase take the bad with the good)

an immoral or degenerate state (often in the phrase go to the bad)

the debit side of an account £200 to the bad

my bad US and Canadian informal my fault or mistake

adverb

not standard badly to want something bad

Derived forms of bad

baddish, adjective badness, noun

Word Origin for bad

C13: probably from bæd-, as the first element of Old English bǣddel hermaphrodite, bǣdling sodomite

British Dictionary definitions for bad (2 of 3)

bad ²

/ (bæd) /

verb

a variant of bade

British Dictionary definitions for bad (3 of 3)

bid

/ (bɪd) /

verb bids, bidding, bad, bade, esp for senses 1, 2, 5, 7 bid, bidden or esp for senses 1, 2, 5, 7 bid

(often foll by for or against) to offer (an amount) in attempting to buy something, esp in competition with others as at an auction

commerce to respond to an offer by a seller by stating (the more favourable terms) on which one is willing to make a purchase

(tr) to say (a greeting, blessing, etc) to bid farewell

to order; command do as you are bid!

(intr usually foll by for) to attempt to attain power, etc

(tr) to invite; ask kindly she bade him sit down

bridge to declare in the auction before play how many tricks one expects to make

bid defiance to resist boldly

bid fair to seem probable

noun

an offer of a specified amount, as at an auction
the price offered

commerce

a statement by a buyer, in response to an offer by a seller, of the more favourable terms that would be acceptable
the price or other terms so stated

an attempt, esp an attempt to attain power

bridge

the number of tricks a player undertakes to make
a player's turn to make a bid

short for bid price

Derived forms of bid

bidder, noun

Word Origin for bid

Old English biddan; related to German bitten

Idioms and Phrases with bad

bad

In addition to the idioms beginning with bad

bad blood
bad egg
bad hair day
bad luck
badly off
bad mouth
bad name
bad news
bad off
bad sort, a
bad taste
bad time
bad trip

also see:

come to an end (bad end)
feel bad
from bad to worse
get off on the wrong foot (to a bad start)
give a bad name
give bad marks to
go bad
in a bad mood
in a bad way
in bad faith
in bad with someone
in someone's bad graces
leave a bad taste in one's mouth
make the best of (a bad bargain)
not a bad sort
not bad
poor (bad) taste
run of (bad) luck
too bad
turn up (like a bad penny)
with bad grace

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bad

adjective, worse, worst; (Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.

noun

adverb Informal.

Idioms for bad

Origin of bad

SYNONYMS FOR bad

synonym study for bad

usage note for bad

OTHER WORDS FROM bad

Words nearby bad

Definition for bad (2 of 4)

verb Archaic.

Definition for bad (3 of 4)

verb (used with object), bade or (Archaic) bad for 1, 2, 5 or bid for 3, 4; bid·den or bid for 1, 2, 5 or bid for 3, 4; bid·ding.

verb (used without object), bade or (Archaic) bad for 6 or bid for 7; bid·den or bid for 6 or bid for 7; bid·ding.

noun

Verb Phrases past and past participle bid, present participle bid·ding.

Origin of bid

SYNONYMS FOR bid

OTHER WORDS FROM bid

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bid

Definition for bad (4 of 4)

verb Archaic.

Words related to bad

Example sentences from the Web for bad

British Dictionary definitions for bad (1 of 3)

adjective worse or worst

noun

adverb

Derived forms of bad

Word Origin for bad

British Dictionary definitions for bad (2 of 3)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for bad (3 of 3)

verb bids, bidding, bad, bade, esp for senses 1, 2, 5, 7 bid, bidden or esp for senses 1, 2, 5, 7 bid

noun

Derived forms of bid

Word Origin for bid

Idioms and Phrases with bad