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.
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"It's a bad decision," British developer Chris Bastin, 34, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ella Hewitt, from Liverpool, says her shopping addiction got so bad in 2021 that she was spending up to £700 a month on fast fashion she couldn't afford and sometimes never even wore.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
That wasn’t bad, but it could have been Camden, N.J.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In 2018, after a bad batch of the MMR vaccine resulted in two children’s deaths in Samoa, the government halted all vaccinations for 10 months.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Just so you know,” I warned, “if you think my Kanyen’kéha is bad, I know even less about beading.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Plus, the CIA chief made a surprise trip to Moscow to deliver a warning, and bond markets overseas look even worse than U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Would you say things turned out better or worse than the future you predicted in “Life During Wartime”? Well, we’re not having a total civil war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Most own them inside a retirement account, in a bond fund or an exchange-traded fund, and that difference can make the problem worse rather than better.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Affectionately known as Rubbish Ruth, she has collected litter for 10 years and said "things are getting worse".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
And the feeling was that much worse now that I knew Elliot Mason was sitting in the front row.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Coastal areas are typically spared the worst of heat waves, thanks to the cool marine layer and ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
That marked the stock market’s worst performance in a decade of keynote addresses by the Fed chair at the symposium.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
A day earlier, Clark posted a lengthy video on social media in which he apologized for “the worst ad known to man.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"I mean, it was like the worst thing," she told Country Music Television.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It was bad enough to be stuck there on that sharecropper’s farm; but to have a little daughter and a twisted leg, and not be able to do anything for her, hurt worst of all.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Vocabulary lists containing bad
