go bad

as inputrefy
as inrot
as inspoil
as inturn
as indebauch
as indecay
as indie

Synonyms for go bad

verb rot

Antonyms for go bad

putrefy

verb. rot

Word Origin & History

c.1200, "inferior in quality;" early 13c., "wicked, evil, vicious," a mystery word with no apparent relatives in other languages.* Possibly from Old English derogatory term bæddel and its diminutive bædling "effeminate man, hermaphrodite, pederast," probably related to bædan "to defile." A rare word before 1400, and evil was more common in this sense until c.1700. Meaning "uncomfortable, sorry" is 1839, American English colloquial.

Comparable words in the other Indo-European languages tend to have grown from descriptions of specific qualities, such as "ugly," "defective," "weak," "faithless," "impudent," "crooked," "filthy" (e.g. Greek kakos, probably from the word for "excrement;" Russian plochoj, related to Old Church Slavonic plachu "wavering, timid;" Persian gast, Old Persian gasta-, related to gand "stench;" German schlecht, originally "level, straight, smooth," whence "simple, ordinary," then "bad").

Comparative and superlative forms badder, baddest were common 14c.-18c. and used as recently as Defoe (but not by Shakespeare), but yielded to comparative worse and superlative worst (which had belonged to evil and ill).

As a noun, late 14c., "evil, wickedness." In U.S. place names, sometimes translating native terms meaning "supernaturally dangerous." Ironic use as a word of approval is said to be at least since 1890s orally, originally in Black English, emerging in print 1928 in a jazz context. It might have emerged from the ambivalence of expressions like bad nigger, used as a term of reproach by whites, but among blacks sometimes representing one who stood up to injustice, but in the U.S. West bad man also had a certain ambivalence:

*Farsi has bad in more or less the same sense as the English word, but this is regarded by linguists as a coincidence. The forms of the words diverge as they are traced back in time (Farsi bad comes from Middle Persian vat), and such accidental convergences exist across many languages, given the vast number of words in each and the limited range of sounds humans can make to signify them. Among other coincidental matches with English are Korean mani "many," Chinese pei "pay," Nahuatl (Aztecan) huel "well," Maya hol "hole."

Example Sentences for go bad

The Erentz motors would overheat; some might go bad from the strain.

The year has turned, though I hope that doesn't mean it will go bad.

They must convert it into money, since it would otherwise just go bad.

Then, to our grief and consternation, they began suddenly to go bad.

No matter what happens it's impossible that all of them should go bad at once.

Also, if he put off asking for his wish too long it might go bad.

He war a-tryin' to get your name out'n my heart, that's what he war tryin', fer he knowed I'd go bad right quick ef he could.

It is also very liable to change—every one is acquainted with its tendency to "go bad."

But if any thing should go bad afterwards, I should never forgive myself, for not taking this opportunity.

And what if her engine should go bad up there—or a tire blow out!

go bad

Synonyms for go bad

Antonyms for go bad

decay

die

died

dies

putrefy

go bad

Synonyms for go bad

Antonyms for go bad

More words related to go bad

debauch

decay

die

died

dies

putrefy