Advertisement
Advertisement
badly
[ bad-lee ]
adverb
- in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way:
The car runs badly.
- in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner:
a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.
- unfavorably:
His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.
- in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.
- in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way:
He treats his parents badly.
- very much; to a great extent or degree:
a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.
- severely; direly:
to be injured badly.
- with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display:
She took the news of her mother's death badly.
badly
/ ˈæɪ /
adverb
- poorly; defectively; inadequately
the chair is badly made
- unfavourably; unsuccessfully; unfortunately
our scheme worked out badly
- severely; gravely
he was badly hurt
- incorrectly or inaccurately
to speak German badly
- improperly; naughtily; wickedly
to behave badly
- without humanity; cruelly
to treat someone badly
- very much (esp in the phrases need badly , badly in need of , want badly )
- regretfully
he felt badly about it
- badly offpoor; impoverished
adjective
- dialect.postpositive ill; poorly
Usage Note
Word History and Origins
Idioms and Phrases
- badly off. bad 1( def 41 ).
Example Sentences
The Dodgers’ bullpen got an unexpected, and badly needed, reprieve Tuesday night.
The vibes shouldn’t be good around the team, the Lakers having been badly beaten at the close of quarters and in the fourth quarter throughout the series.
"Most of the president's revenge attempts will end badly for him. Republicans could rue the day they set a new justification for retaliation from Democrats."
The outage began soon after midday Spanish time and cities across the country have been impacted, although the popular tourist destinations of the Balearic and Canary Islands have not been as badly affected.
Shah, who is chairman of the BBC board, said the report highlighted "some deep-seated issues", and that people who "abuse power or punch down or behave badly" have no place at the corporation.
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse