# bad

Pronunciation: say "BAD" /bæd/

## Adjective

1. Unpleasant, unfavorable, or full of problems; not what one would hope for.
   - Simple: Not nice or not good to have or go through, like bad news or a bad day.
   - _The company reported a bad quarter, with profits down sharply._
   - _We had a bad flight, with a two-hour delay and a lost bag at the end._
2. Of poor quality or below an acceptable standard, including faulty (a bad cable) or full of errors (bad data).
   - Simple: Not good enough in quality, not working properly, or full of mistakes.
   - _The movie got terrible reviews for its bad script and wooden acting._
   - _He complained that the bad workmanship on the cabinets was obvious._
3. Morally evil or wicked; given to doing wrong deliberately.
   - Simple: Cruel or evil, choosing to do wrong on purpose.
   - _Folktales often pit a kind hero against a bad sorcerer._
   - _My son always wants to play the bad guy who steals the treasure._
4. Harmful, especially to health; likely to cause illness or other health problems.
   - Simple: Likely to harm your health or hurt you in some way.
   - _Doctors warn that a diet high in salt is bad for the heart._
   - _Breathing polluted air over many years can be bad for the lungs._
5. Not suitable or appropriate for a particular situation, purpose, or standard of behavior (bad form, a bad time).
   - Simple: Not right or not suitable for the situation, like a bad time to call or bad manners.
   - _Interrupting elders was regarded as bad form in his family._
   - _Showing up empty-handed is bad etiquette at a dinner party._
6. Unskilled or of limited ability; not good at a particular task.
   - Simple: Not good at doing something, and lacking skill.
   - _She admits she's a bad dancer with no sense of rhythm._
   - _Being bad at math made the accounting job a daily struggle._
7. Feeling regretful, guilty, or ashamed, typically about one's own actions.
   - Simple: Feeling sorry or guilty about something you did.
   - _He felt bad about leaving the party so early._
   - _They feel bad that they couldn't help more during the move._
8. Misbehaving; acting in a mischievous or disobedient way.
   - Simple: Behaving in a way that breaks rules or upsets others.
   - _Their youngest is a bad child who never sits still in class._
   - _He decided the dog had been bad and sent it outside._
12. Spoiled, rotten, or overripe; no longer fit to eat.
   - Simple: No longer fresh or safe to eat after going rotten.
   - _Half the strawberries had gone bad by the time we got home._
   - _A bad egg can ruin an entire batch of batter._
15. Excellent, impressive, or cool. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Really good, cool, or impressive.
   - _That guitar solo was bad, man; nobody else in town can play like that._
   - _That skater is bad; he makes the hardest tricks look easy._
16. In poor health or unwell, or looking ill or tired.
   - Simple: Sick or not well, or looking sick or tired.
   - _The old man had been bad for months, confined to his bed._
   - _By winter she was so bad that she could hardly climb the stairs without resting._
17. Injured, diseased, or painful, said of a part of the body (a bad back, a bad knee).
   - Simple: Hurt, sick, or weak, said of a part of your body, like a bad knee or a bad back.
   - _Grandpa leans on his cane to spare his bad hip._
   - _The pitcher sat out the game to rest his bad shoulder._
18. Severe or urgent, describing a need, want, or pain.
   - Simple: Very strong or serious, used about a need, a wish, or a pain.
   - _He was in bad need of rest after the long shift._
   - _A bad ache spread across her shoulders by evening._
11. Not valid or good for payment: of money, counterfeit; of a check, not covered by funds; of a debt, unlikely to be repaid.
   - Simple: Not real or not good for payment, like fake money, a check that bounces, or a debt never paid.
   - _The landlord was furious when the rent check came back bad._
   - _She faced fees for writing bad checks two months in a row._
20. Bold, daring, and tough. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Bold, brave, and tough.
   - _With his scarred knuckles and steady stare, he was one bad dude nobody wanted to cross._
   - _Everyone at the skate park agreed she was the baddest rider there, landing tricks nobody else would try._
21. Having an unpleasant or foul smell.
   - Simple: Having a strong, unpleasant smell.
   - _My brother always has bad breath in the morning until he brushes his teeth._
   - _A bad stench rose from the stagnant pond behind the barn._
22. Of words, speech, or writing, vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous.
   - Simple: Rude, dirty, or offensive in language.
   - _He got suspended for shouting bad words at the umpire._
   - _The station bleeped out the bad language before the interview aired._
23. Very attractive; sexy. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very good-looking and attractive.
   - _Have you seen his new girlfriend? She's bad, with a model's face and a smile that stops traffic._
   - _When her date showed up in a crisp white shirt, her friend leaned over and whispered, 'Girl, he is bad. Where did you find him?'_
24. Used without a linking verb to mock people who oppose something they do not actually understand. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Used to make fun of people who hate something they do not really understand.
   - _Their argument amounted to immigration bad and little else._
   - _Every reply boiled down to technology bad, with no evidence behind it._
25. Not worth the cost, effort, or trouble involved.
   - Simple: Not worth the money, time, or effort.
   - _Renovating the flooded basement proved a bad investment._
   - _Driving two hours to save just five dollars was a bad trade-off._
26. Feeling sympathy for someone because of the troubles they are going through, usually in the phrase "feel bad for someone."
   - Simple: Feeling sorry for someone who is having a hard time, usually in "feel bad for someone."
   - _I really feel bad for the families who lost their homes in the fire._
   - _She felt bad for the new hire, who had been handed the hardest account on his first day._

## Adverb

9. To a great degree; severely, intensely, or with strong desire. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very much, or a lot.
   - _He needed the job so bad he took a steep pay cut._
   - _His back was hurting bad by the end of the move._
19. Poorly; in a way that is not good or skillful. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: In a way that is not good or done well.
   - _She did bad on the final exam after missing a week of class._
   - _He sang so bad at karaoke that his friends begged him to sit down._

## Noun

10. Something harmful or evil.
   - Simple: A harmful or evil thing.
   - _There's more good than bad in that boy, whatever the neighbors say._
   - _She tries to see past the bad in people._
13. An error or mistake, used after a possessive word such as my or your. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A mistake, used after words like my or your.
   - _My bad, I thought the meeting started at ten._
   - _The ref waved off the goal, then shrugged and admitted it was his bad._

## Interjection

14. An exclamation used to scold a misbehaving child or pet.
   - Simple: Said to a child or pet to show that it is doing something wrong.
   - _Bad! Get off the couch this instant!_
   - _Bad! We do not bite people in this house!_

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Sexually loose or ready to sleep with many partners.
- (adjective) Appealing because of a defiant, rule-breaking attitude.
- (noun) In economics, a product or thing that people would pay to be rid of, such as waste or pollution, the opposite of a good.
- (verb) A former past tense form of bid, now usually spelled bade.
- (verb) To remove the green outer husk from a walnut.

## Origin

From Middle English bad, badde ("wicked, evil"), of uncertain origin. It may be a shortening of Old English bæddel, a word for an effeminate man or intersex person, or a loan from Old Norse; compare Norwegian and East Danish words meaning trouble or damage.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bad (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).