bad
Usage
What are other ways to say bad?
When describing things that are lacking in moral qualities or are 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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And the bad news for the chasing pack is that just two clubs have won the Premier League having been five or more points behind after four games.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
This borrowing, known as fund-level debt, can magnify investors’ losses on bad bets and could even create risks for banks in a severe downturn, industry analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
September is historically a bad month for stocks, and Septembers during midterm election years have a reputation for being particularly rough, said Hardika Singh, a strategist at Fundstrat.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Asked if he was downplaying their concerns, he said: "No, we are not downplaying, but you know it's going to be more good than bad by a lot."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Hanging out with the cook guy or anyone else we work with? Voluntarily listening to bad music while swatting at black flies?”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"This isn't me and worse, this cheap imitation is a soulless idiot."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
High school students permitted to use ChatGPT as a study aid soared through practice questions, but performed worse on tests than peers without AI once the tool was taken away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
In some locations, that could make pollution worse rather than solve the problem.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Maybe Sally was right: the Owens sisters’ story isn’t ending up the way it began — it’s ending up worse.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
To make things worse, Old Rowdy growled way down deep, and started walking around stiff-legged, like when he was getting ready for a fight.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Corning, Teradyne, and Coherent were the S&P 500’s worst performers, all down at least 12%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The spread narrowed over the summer as a ceasefire and a short-lived diplomatic deal between the U.S. and Iran raised hopes that the worst of the conflict might be over.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Since Berrada spoke to staff, United have delivered their worst starts in three decades.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
After the game, Garrett described his performance as “the worst version of myself.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
I rigged a snow shelter and made a lean-to with a tarp and dug snow caves for the dogs and we holed up to wait until the worst of the cold had passed.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Vocabulary lists containing bad
