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.
Cipriani claimed Shell turned to him for protection against potential bad publicity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
This year, Russell has suffered some bad luck at various times - including with a pit stop that went wrong and led to a penalty in Monaco last weekend.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
A bad day for Adobe’s stock got even worse on Thursday after the company said another top executive was leaving, overshadowing an upbeat earnings report.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
Movies, like people, have a historical context, and Rocky’s was Watergate, Vietnam, a bad economy, high inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
I should keep them all, crappy or not, because it’s a record of my improvement, and all good sketchbooks have bad sketches.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Vocabulary lists containing bad
