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bad

bad

∞ 1.0
Morally wrong or harmful to other people
  • adjective
  • /bæd/
: malvado
  • Stealing from others is a bad act that harms the community and violates trust.
  • a bad guy
  • good and bad
  • bad behavior

I've seen good, great people do bad things in a moment.

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Examples

Synonyms

wrong
vsbad
∞ 1.0

Not morally right or acceptable

is more general, not limited to standards or laws
evil
vsbad
∞ 1.2

Being very bad and morally wrong, often causing harm to others

is a general term for moral failings or misconduct
dark
vsbad
742 6.1

Connected with evil or with being kept hidden

is a plain moral label without metaphorical darkness
vile
vsbad
131 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

is a neutral term for moral badness without disgust tone
ugly
vsbad
113 4.9

Very bad or offensive in a moral way

is more general and does not stress offensiveness
wicked
vsbad
112 4.6

A person or action that is very bad and cruel

is broader, covering any moral wrong without deep severity
sinful
vsbad
59 3.6

Wrong according to religious or moral rules

is secular and general rather than tied to religious rules
depraved
vsbad
  • Formal
44 7.8

Very bad and cruel in the way someone behaves

can apply to a wider range of moral failings, not only corruption
nefarious
vsbad
  • Formal
43 8.8

Very bad and illegal, done to harm people

is broader, not necessarily implying criminal intent
diabolical
vsbad
42 8.2

Very evil and cruel, like a devil

is the plain moral term without supernatural connotations
criminal
vsbad
33 3.7

Very wrong and deserving strong blame

is moral in scope and not limited to legal guilt
ungodly
vsbad
18 7.2

Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules

is secular and does not imply religious judgment
villainous
vsbad
14 7.3

Very bad and cruel, often hurting other people

covers wrongdoing without the dramatic villain quality
evil-minded
vsbad
2 7.5

Wanting to hurt people or cause harm

focuses on actions or general moral wrongness rather than intent
iniquitous
vsbad
  • Formal
2 9.8

Very unfair and wrong in a way that harms people

is less intense and may cover minor moral faults
ungood
vsbad
  • Literature
1 9.9

Not good or pleasant, often used jokingly

is standard moral language and not humorous or ironic

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Behaving in a kind and honest way

318 3.6

Having high moral qualities and kind intentions

23 4.3

Being morally good and doing what is right

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 Immoral

depraved
  • Formal
44 7.8
evil
960 3.0
wicked
112 4.6
bad
∞ 1.0
wrong
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

bad positive
worse comparative
worst superlative

Etymology

Bad originally meant simply 'not good', and over time it was used for actions and people who do wrong. That is why bad can mean 'morally wrong' or 'evil'.