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.
He would skip meals, worried that something bad would happen if he took a break while at work.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
“Americans are notoriously bad savers. Large numbers are reaching old age too poor to finance retirements that could last longer than they worked,” the authors of the report wrote.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
It is associated with warmer seawater and, in some places, reduced cloud cover, both of which are bad news for global coral reefs.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
That’s bad news for home shoppers during what is usually the busiest time of the year for home sales.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 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
