Skip to main content
bad

bad

∞ 1.0
Not good in quality or below the usual standard
  • adjective
  • /bæd/
: malo
  • It's just, it's bad, it's sad, it's not good.
  • good and bad
  • bad news
  • a bad idea

OK, so now I showed that bad trips cost Uber.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But you know what they say, a bad day at Pineway is better than a good day anywhere else.

  • These problems are caused by bad system design.

  • It's not just leading to a bad week or a bad month.

  • Anyway, it looks bad, I think is my take.

  • One day at the end of May, we experienced a bad surprise at lunch.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The question in itself is enough to realize how bad the situation with poetry is at present.

    Academic text (2012)
  • - What's so bad about it?

  • Like every good reporter, he recorded good and bad things about both sides.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I just wish this wasn't so bad, you know?

  • The report was deemed bad because it lacked accurate data.

Synonyms

terrible
vsbad
∞ 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

is the general negative descriptor that can be less intense
poor
vsbad
555 1.0

Not good enough in quality or amount

covers the same general lack of quality or sufficiency
no-good
vsbad
  • Informal
548 5.6

Bad or worthless and often causing trouble

is the ordinary negative word that can include useless items
lousy
vsbad
  • Informal
421 4.1

Very bad or mean and not liked by people

is the regular negative term without the expressive dislike
unacceptable
vsbad
218 3.2

Not good enough or not allowed by rules

is a general negative term that includes disallowed or poor items
rotten
vsbad
191 1.0

Very bad and unpleasant to experience

is the general negative descriptor that covers this extreme too
crappy
vsbad
  • NSFW
187 7.5

Very bad or of low quality

is the neutral everyday term without the strong informal tone
inferior
vsbad
70 3.7

Not as good in quality as something else

is a general term for low quality or below expected standard
shoddy
vsbad
35 4.5

Not made well and likely to break or stop working

is the general negative term not limited to workmanship causes
second-rate
vsbad
28 4.4

Not as good as the best, often cheap or simple

is the more general label for low quality without ranking
atrocious
vsbad
27 7.0

Being very bad and of low quality

is the broad word for low quality, not always so extreme
abysmal
vsbad
26 7.1

Very bad or of poor quality

is the standard negative label that can be less intense
faulty
vsbad
24 3.5

Not correct because it has mistakes, for example in an argument or plan

refers more widely to poor quality rather than specific defects
low-grade
vsbad
24 4.4

Not very good and worth less than similar things

is the broader everyday word for similar low quality
substandard
vsbad
23 4.4

Not as good as the usual or required quality

is the broader negative term not limited to standards
15 3.9

Not good enough to be acceptable

is the general word describing things that fail to meet expectations
subpar
vsbad
12 4.5

Not as good as people expect

is the general negative label that can include this shortfall
pretty shitty
vsbad
  • Offensive
9 9.9

Very bad or disappointing

is the standard negative descriptor without vulgar emphasis
junky
vsbad
  • Informal
8 4.8

Poor quality and likely to break quickly

is a broader word for low quality or low value
woeful
vsbad
5 5.5

Very bad in quality or condition

is the general word for undesirable quality without that pitying tone
suboptimal
vsbad
3 5.6

Less good than the best choice

is the general negative term that includes less than ideal results
really sucky
vsbad
  • Slang
1 8.4

Very bad and disappointing to experience

is the regular negative term without the coarse informal emphasis
ungood
vsbad
  • Literature
1 9.9

Not good or pleasant, often used jokingly

is the straightforward negative term without ironic or humorous tone
1 6.5

Not as good as expected or needed

is the general word for failing to meet expectations
rubbishy
vsbad
  • UK
1 7.0

Cheap and poorly made

is the general negative category that includes cheap things

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Showing positive qualities that other people approve of

∞ 1.0

Very good and better than most similar things

Idioms

not bad
  • Informal
938 3.0

Better than expected and quite good

too bad
  • Informal
536 3.3

Saying that something is unfortunate or disappointing

my bad
  • Informal
62 8.4

A short casual phrase to admit you made a mistake

14 6.0

Very sick or having serious money problems

not half bad
  • Informal
8 7.4

Better than you expected

An unpleasant feeling of dislike after an experience

Make someone or something look bad to other people

To keep spending money on something that is already failing

3 7.9

To put someone into a bad or difficult situation because of bad luck

bad penny
  • Informal
3 7.7

Something unwanted that keeps coming back

on bad terms
  • Informal
2 3.6

Not friendly with someone because of a disagreement

A time when someone has trouble

in bad odor
  • Archaic
1 9.3

Not liked or trusted by other people after doing something wrong

1 9.9

When people use bad money, they keep better money and it disappears

Put someone into a difficult situation they cannot control because of bad luck

Speak badly about someone or something to other people

Compounds

bad guy
  • Informal
612 3.0

A person who goes against others or causes harm

534 1.0

Unpleasant information that makes you feel sad or upset

334 2.3

A choice or plan that will probably cause problems

201 1.0

Unlucky events that happen by chance

bad person
  • Offensive
154 1.6

A person who harms others on purpose or does wrong things

bad boy
  • Informal
118 6.1

A man who breaks rules and seems exciting but causes trouble

73 2.4

A choice that is not good and causes problems later

71 3.6

A sense that something bad may happen

50 1.0

Weather that makes being outside unpleasant, often with rain or strong wind

36 4.1

An unpleasant feeling that stays after something rude or upsetting

34 2.5

A remark meant to make people laugh that is not funny or is rude

bad blood
  • Informal
32 4.8

A feeling of anger or dislike between people that often leads to hostility

27 5.3

Dishonest or harmful actions by a company and its workers that damage trust

bad apple
  • Informal
25 4.4

A person in a group who causes trouble for others

20 3.4

A habit of getting angry easily and staying in a bad mood

Big Bad Wolf
  • Literature
18 3.2

A wolf in children's stories who hurts or tricks people

16 6.5

A person who behaves badly and damages a group or its work

bad check
  • Specialized
16 3.5

A check from an account without enough money that the bank does not pay

bad hair day
  • Informal
14 4.6

A day when someone's hair looks messy and they feel unhappy about it

14 1.6

Rude behavior that breaks normal social rules

bad debt
  • Specialized
11 4.1

A debt that a person who borrowed money cannot or will not pay back

bad egg
  • Offensive
7 5.6

A person who cannot be trusted and may lie or steal

5 3.7

People who can make you behave badly or get into trouble

5 3.7

A disappointing finish to a story, event, or experience

5 4.4

A record of past bad actions that makes people not trust a person or organization

4 7.2

A treatment that is not helpful or is unpleasant but sometimes needed to make you better

3 3.9

Poor lighting that makes it hard to see

2 5.4

A situation where people are not friendly and do not trust each other

the bad place
  • Informal
2 8.7

A place believed to be for punishment after death or a very bad situation

2 4.6

A purchase or deal that leaves you worse off

bad touch
  • Offensive
2 9.0

Unwanted physical contact that makes someone feel scared or uncomfortable

bad fairy
  • Literature
2 7.4

A fairy who wants to harm people or cause trouble

big and bad
  • Informal
2 6.8

Very large and so strong that it scares or impresses people

bad boy image
  • Informal
1 6.3

An attractive look of not following rules, often in men

1 3.3

Not polite when you are with other people

1 6.8

A dry area of eroded rock with few plants in western South Dakota and Nebraska

bad hat
  • Offensive
1 8.3

A person who causes trouble on purpose or acts dishonestly

bad actor
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A software tool that attacks or steals data from a computer system

bad block
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A part of a disk where data cannot be read or written because it is damaged

bad block
  • Specialized
7.5

A block in a blockchain that the network computers do not accept because it breaks the rules

bad looker
  • Offensive
8.4

A person who many people think is not good looking

7.9

A time when a team or person keeps getting bad results

How Bad

horrible
∞ 1.5
terrible
∞ 1.0
awful
914 1.0
bad
∞ 1.0
poor
555 1.0

Surface Forms

bad positive
worse comparative
worst superlative

Etymology

Bad is an old English word that originally just meant 'not good'. Because that simple idea fit many situations, people used it for things of 'poor quality', which is why bad can mean something is low standard.