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bad

bad

1.0
Morally wrong or harmful to other people
  • adjective
  • /bæd/
translation icon : 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
553 6.1

Connected with evil or with being kept hidden

is a plain moral label without metaphorical darkness
ugly
vsbad
268 4.9

Very bad or offensive in a moral way

is more general and does not stress offensiveness
vile
vsbad
157 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

is a neutral term for moral badness without disgust tone
wicked
vsbad
149 4.6

A person or action that is very bad and cruel

is broader, covering any moral wrong without deep severity
criminal
vsbad
90 3.7

Very wrong and deserving strong blame

is moral in scope and not limited to legal guilt
sinful
vsbad
56 3.6

Wrong according to religious or moral rules

is secular and general rather than tied to religious rules
depraved
vsbad
  • Formal
48 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
47 8.8

Very bad and illegal, done to harm people

is broader, not necessarily implying criminal intent
diabolical
vsbad
44 8.2

Very evil and cruel, like a devil

is the plain moral term without supernatural connotations
ungodly
vsbad
21 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
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
evil-minded
vsbad
1 7.5

Wanting to hurt people or cause harm

focuses on actions or general moral wrongness rather than intent
ungood
vsbad
  • Literature
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

274 3.6

Having high moral qualities and kind intentions

35 4.3

Being morally good and doing what is right

Idioms

too bad
  • Informal
643 3.3

Saying that something is unfortunate or disappointing

not bad
  • Informal
134 3.0

Better than expected and quite good

my bad
  • Informal
47 8.4

A short casual phrase to admit you made a mistake

17 6.0

Very sick or having serious money problems

not half bad
  • Informal
14 7.4

Better than you expected

Make someone or something look bad to other people

An unpleasant feeling of dislike after an experience

To keep spending money on something that is already failing

bad penny
  • Informal
2 7.7

Something unwanted that keeps coming back

on bad terms
  • Informal
1 3.6

Not friendly with someone because of a disagreement

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

1 7.9

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

A time when someone has trouble

9.9

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

in bad odor
  • Archaic
9.3

Not liked or trusted by other people after doing something wrong

Speak badly about someone or something to other people

Compounds

515 1.0

Unpleasant information that makes you feel sad or upset

bad guy
  • Informal
415 3.0

A person who goes against others or causes harm

246 2.3

A choice or plan that will probably cause problems

166 1.0

Unlucky events that happen by chance

bad boy
  • Informal
108 6.1

A man who breaks rules and seems exciting but causes trouble

bad person
  • Offensive
104 1.6

A person who harms others on purpose or does wrong things

76 3.6

A sense that something bad may happen

54 2.4

A choice that is not good and causes problems later

46 1.0

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

bad blood
  • Informal
28 4.8

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

26 2.5

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

21 4.1

An unpleasant feeling that stays after something rude or upsetting

bad apple
  • Informal
16 4.4

A person in a group who causes trouble for others

14 3.4

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

bad check
  • Specialized
13 3.5

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

12 1.6

Rude behavior that breaks normal social rules

11 5.3

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

bad hair day
  • Informal
11 4.6

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

9 6.5

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

bad debt
  • Specialized
9 4.1

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

bad egg
  • Offensive
5 5.6

A person who cannot be trusted and may lie or steal

3 3.7

People who can make you behave badly or get into trouble

3 4.4

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

2 3.7

A disappointing finish to a story, event, or experience

Big Bad Wolf
  • Literature
2 3.2

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

2 3.9

Poor lighting that makes it hard to see

1 7.2

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

big and bad
  • Informal
1 6.8

Very large and so strong that it scares or impresses people

1 5.4

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

1 4.6

A purchase or deal that leaves you worse off

bad hat
  • Offensive
1 8.3

A person who causes trouble on purpose or acts dishonestly

bad touch
  • Offensive
1 9.0

Unwanted physical contact that makes someone feel scared or uncomfortable

bad actor
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

1 3.3

Not polite when you are with other people

bad fairy
  • Literature
1 7.4

A fairy who wants to harm people or cause trouble

1 6.8

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

bad block
  • Specialized
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 boy image
  • Informal
6.3

An attractive look of not following rules, often in men

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

the bad place
  • Informal
8.7

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

How Immoral

depraved
  • Formal
48 7.8
evil
3.0
wicked
149 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'.