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:
They are getting headlines for the wrong reasons and setting bad examples for the young women in middle school and high school who emulate them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
When 3 in the afternoon rolls around on a particularly bad work day, you’re in desperate need of a fun sweet treat to get you out of the slump.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for those who do make the trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“DCOR is the poster child for why the Coastal Commission must retain its … ability to challenge yet another very bad idea that will increase the risk of a spill off our coast.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He remembered thinking, This hurt is very bad.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
He’s not the only disappointment: Mookie Betts is hitting worse than ever before in his career while another newcomer, $240-million man Kyle Tucker, is hitting just .239 with 11 home runs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"Even though Europe's problems have only gotten worse with this summer's abnormally hot temperatures, drying rivers and further disrupting transport within the continent, earnings expectations for Stoxx 600 companies keep rising!"
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
"The more TBX5 you removed, the worse the disruption across every level of genome organization we looked at."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Twenty bucks is a lot to pay for a piece of plastic you could lose to a strong fish, or worse, a rock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
What’s worse is that her gift was gone.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
This is already its worst year on record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
And, “Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz are the two worst things Oprah ever foisted on the public.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Pereira's worst affected neighborhoods were also its most impoverished, with homeless people, Venezuelan migrants and street vendors in precarious situations bearing the brunt of the impact.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It was the firm’s worst monthly loss ever, one of the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“No. Your worst crime was to hold me up to derision.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Vocabulary lists containing bad
