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.
To say global heating is bad right now is really downplaying the crisis.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
From the moment Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo met on Made in Chelsea, their relationship has played out in the public eye with audiences following everything - the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
But he still didn’t have a bad day as his pair of 3-year-old fillies, Meaning and Brooklyn Blonde, finished 1-2 in the Grade 2 $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
They note that the main culprit was a “catastrophically bad control-room design” where workers “were unable to understand what was going wrong.”
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
And it was not so bad at first.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
