bad
bad — noun
1. all the unpleasant, harmful, or morally wrong things that exist in life or that
all the unpleasant, harmful, or morally wrong things that exist in life or that people do — the opposite of 'the good'
Dario learned that life has both good and bad, and you must accept both.
the good and the bad — paired opposites
The charity works to reduce the bad that poverty brings to children in Taipei.
When Yael signed the rental agreement, she accepted the good with the bad.
accept the good with the bad — set phrase
Kenji's grandfather said the bad in people's hearts can be changed by kindness.
Madison tried to focus on the good instead of the bad after her surgery.
- the bad
- the good and the bad
- take the bad with the good
- the bad that [clause]
- good
the direct opposite — positive, beneficial, or morally right things
Grammar Patterns
the + bad
the good and the bad
Usage Note
Always used with 'the' as an uncountable mass noun. Cannot be used with 'a' or in plural form ('bads').
Common Mistakes
bad — adjective
1. describing something that makes you feel unhappy, upset, or annoyed
describing something that makes you feel unhappy, upset, or annoyed
The weather turned bad, so the school closed the playground for the day.
collocation: bad weather / bad news / bad smell
Rania had a bad day at work after her computer broke down.
There is a bad smell coming from the old refrigerator in the kitchen.
Jason heard some bad news about his cousin's car accident.
The service at that hotel was so bad that Ziad asked for a refund.
- bad weather
- bad news
- bad day
- bad smell
- bad taste
- unpleasant
more formal and less common in everyday speech
- terrible
stronger degree of unpleasantness
- awful
similar strength to 'terrible', very common in conversation
- good
general opposite of unpleasant
Usage Note
Often used in weather forecasts, reports of news, and descriptions of experiences or conditions.
Common Mistakes
2. not made or done well enough; below the standard you expect
not made or done well enough; below the standard you expect
The film was so bad that Manuela fell asleep halfway through.
collocation: bad film / bad food / bad grade
Lakshmi bought a cheap watch, but the quality was too bad to use.
The food at the new café tasted bad and was not cooked properly.
Hassan received a bad grade on his essay because of spelling mistakes.
- bad film
- bad food
- bad grade
- bad quality
3. showing little skill or producing poor results in a particular area or activity
showing little skill or producing poor results in a particular area or activity
Tanvi is a bad cook, so her family orders takeout most nights.
pattern: be bad at [activity] or be a bad [agent noun]
Dario is really bad with directions and gets lost very easily.
The team had a bad season and lost twelve games in a row.
Christopher was a bad student who never handed in homework on time.
- bad at
- bad with
- bad student
- bad season
Grammar Patterns
be bad at [something]
be bad with [something]
Usage Note
Followed by 'at' for skills (bad at maths) or 'with' for tools and abstract things (bad with money, bad with names).
Common Mistakes
4. very serious in degree or effect, often causing significant difficulty or harm
very serious in degree or effect, often causing significant difficulty or harm
The storm caused bad damage to dozens of houses along the coast.
collocation: bad damage / bad cough / bad traffic jam
Nellie had such a bad cough that she could not sleep at night.
A bad traffic jam on the highway made Élise late for her meeting.
The company where Nia works suffered a bad loss after the fire.
- bad damage
- bad cough
- bad traffic jam
- bad loss
Usage Note
Common before nouns describing problems, injuries, or negative events. Not used before people (you cannot say a 'bad person' to mean a severely ill person).
5. having a harmful effect on the body or mind; likely to cause illness or injury
having a harmful effect on the body or mind; likely to cause illness or injury
Eating too much sugar is bad for your teeth, says the dentist.
pattern: be bad for [body part or health]
Hyun stopped eating fast food because he read it is bad for the heart.
Mayumi thinks that sitting at a desk for eight hours is bad for her back.
The air quality in the city was so bad that children wore masks to school.
- bad for
- bad air
- bad food
Grammar Patterns
be bad for [noun]
Usage Note
Typically followed by 'for' + the thing that is harmed. Also used about air quality, food, habits, and environments.
Common Mistakes
6. morally wrong and deliberately harmful, describing a person or their actions
morally wrong and deliberately harmful, describing a person or their actions
The villain in the story is a bad man who wants to destroy the village.
register: describes people or actions that are morally wrong
Sofia knew that lying about the money she lost was a bad thing to do.
Lotte felt terrible about the bad thing she said to upset her classmate.
The dictator did many bad things to keep himself in power for decades.
- bad person
- bad thing
- bad deed
Usage Note
Weaker than 'evil' in modern use — 'bad' here describes everyday moral failings as well as serious wrongdoing, while 'evil' is reserved for extreme cruelty.
7. not right for a particular purpose, person, or occasion because of a mismatch in
not right for a particular purpose, person, or occasion because of a mismatch in what is needed or wanted.
This old chair is bad for your back — it offers almost no support.
collocation: bad for + body part
Hui thought late afternoon was a bad time to meet because of heavy traffic.
collocation: a bad time to do sth
The muddy path was a bad place for a wedding ceremony in high heels.
collocation: a bad place for + noun
Élise realized her bright dress was bad for a job interview at the bank.
predicative: bad for + situation
Sunday is a bad day to visit the museum because it closes at noon.
pattern: a bad day to + infinitive
- bad time
- bad place
- bad day
- bad for
- bad choice
- unsuitable
more formal; very close in meaning
- inappropriate
formal; often used for behaviour or dress
- wrong
common but broader; can mean incorrect as well as unsuitable
- good
the standard everyday opposite
- suitable
more formal; describes a good match for a purpose
- appropriate
formal; socially or situationally correct
Grammar Patterns
bad for + noun / -ing
bad + infinitive
Usage Note
Common in the patterns 'bad for + noun/gerund' and 'a bad + noun + infinitive'. Subject is typically a time, place, object, or situation that does not match what is needed. Distinguish from sense 1 (UNPLEASANT): this sense describes a poor match, not a feeling of unhappiness.
Common Mistakes
8. hurting or making a part of your body hurt, usually because of injury, disease,
hurting or making a part of your body hurt, usually because of injury, disease, or overuse.
Hyun has a bad knee and cannot run very far these days.
structure: have a bad + body part
After the long hike, Lucía's feet were so bad that she could barely walk.
predicative: feet were bad
The cold winter air makes my grandmother's arthritis worse, and she feels bad all season.
pattern: feel bad (physical discomfort)
A bad toothache kept Ishaan awake until the dentist opened in the morning.
attributive: bad + pain noun
Defne saw a doctor about her bad back after weeks at a computer.
attributive: bad back
- bad back
- bad knee
- bad leg
- bad tooth
- bad headache
- bad cough
Grammar Patterns
have / get + bad + body part
bad + body-part noun
Usage Note
Frequently used with body parts (a bad back / knee / tooth / leg) to describe an injury or chronic condition. Can also describe general physical discomfort. Less formal than 'painful' and 'sore' in writing.
Common Mistakes
9. having spoiled and no longer in a condition that is suitable for eating.
having spoiled and no longer in a condition that is suitable for eating.
Ada smelled the milk and realised it had gone bad overnight.
phrasal pattern: go bad
Eli threw away the bad apples before they spoiled his fruit basket.
attributive: bad + food noun
The chicken was bad, so Yasmin did not serve it to her dinner guests.
predicative: noun + is bad (food)
If the bread smells bad, do not eat it — it is probably no longer fresh.
structure: smell bad (food spoilage)
Hoa checked the eggs and threw out the ones that had gone bad.
phrasal pattern: gone bad (resultative)
- go bad
- bad milk
- bad meat
- bad eggs
- bad fruit
- bad chicken
- smell bad
Grammar Patterns
go bad
bad + food noun
Usage Note
Restricted to food and organic matter; never used for broken or worn-out objects. The phrase 'go bad' is a common phrasal expression that describes the process of food spoiling over time.
Common Mistakes
not bad
idiomfairly good or satisfactory, used to show that something is better than expected
"How was the film?" — "Not bad, actually better than I expected."
For a beginner, your painting is not bad at all.
too bad
idiomused to express sadness or disappointment about a situation that cannot be changed
It is too bad that Eri cannot come to the party on Saturday.
"I missed the bus." — "That is too bad — the next one comes in an hour."
go from bad to worse
idiomto become increasingly difficult or unpleasant, usually after already being in a difficult situation
First Rania lost her keys, then her phone died — things went from bad to worse.
The economy went from bad to worse after the factory closed down.
in a bad way
idiomin a very difficult or dangerous situation, especially concerning health or finances
After the accident, Trang was in a bad way and stayed in hospital for weeks.
The small farm was in a bad way after three years of drought.
can’t be bad
idiomUsed to suggest that something is definitely good or beneficial.
You get a free ticket, which can't be bad, right?
A promotion with a raise can't be bad for your career.
have got it bad
idiomTo be extremely infatuated or deeply in love with someone.
Mia calls him every hour—she's got it bad.
Have you seen how Diego looks at Sara? He's got it bad.
bad — adverb
1. used in everyday spoken English instead of 'badly' to say that you want, need, o
used in everyday spoken English instead of 'badly' to say that you want, need, or feel something extremely
Sora wanted to go to the festival so bad that he saved money for months.
want + so bad — colloquial intensifier for desire
Lakan's knee hurt so bad after the match that he could not walk.
hurt + so bad — intensifier for physical sensation
Apinya missed her family so bad during her first year in Japan.
miss + so bad — intensifier for emotion
The old refrigerator rattled so bad that the landlord finally replaced it.
Ilan needed a shower so bad after working outside all afternoon.
- want so bad
- need so bad
- miss so bad
- hurt so bad
- badly
standard adverb form; use in formal contexts
- very much
neutral register, works in both formal and informal English
- terribly
similar intensity but more emphatic; e.g. 'want terribly'
- desperately
stronger emotional urgency; e.g. 'need desperately'
Grammar Patterns
want/need/miss + so bad
hurt + so bad
Usage Note
Informal only — do not use this adverb in formal writing or academic contexts. Choose 'badly' or 'very much' instead. Most common with verbs of desire (want, need) and physical sensation (hurt).
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
Bad is the most general and versatile of these words. Evil (adj/6) is far stronger, implying deliberate moral wickedness — you would call a dictator evil, but not someone who forgot your birthday. Poor (adj/2) overlaps with bad on quality but carries more sympathy ('a poor performance' sounds gentler than 'a bad performance'), and it cannot substitute for bad on the other senses: you cannot say 'poor weather' (UNPLEASANT) to mean uncomfortable weather. Terrible and awful are both informal intensifiers that overlap with bad's UNPLEASANT and LOW QUALITY senses but suggest a higher degree ('the service was terrible/awful' = much worse than 'bad'). However, neither works well for the UNSUCCESSFUL sense ('a terrible cook' is too harsh) or the EVIL sense ('a terrible person' is ambiguous between 'very unpleasant' and 'morally bad'). Harmful (adj/5) is narrower and more formal, restricted to health or environmental damage. A food can be both bad (spoiled, adj/9) and bad (unhealthy, adj/5), but only 'harmful' clearly marks the health risk. In everyday speech, bad covers most situations, but choosing a more precise word — terrible for strong negative reactions, poor for gentle criticism, evil for moral condemnation — makes your message clearer.
Common collocations
Nouns
- bad thing
- bad news
- bad day
- bad time
- bad luck
- bad situation
- bad idea
- bad habit
Adverbs
- very bad
- so bad
- really bad
- extremely bad
- pretty bad
- rather bad
Phrases
- not bad
- too bad
- go bad
- feel bad
- bad to worse
- in a bad way
- take the good with the bad
Prepositions
- bad for
- bad at
- bad with
Etymology
Bad traces back to Middle English 'badde', which first appeared in the 13th century meaning 'inadequate, worthless, of poor quality'. Its earlier origin is uncertain but may come from Old English 'bæddel' (hermaphrodite) or a related Germanic root meaning 'effeminate, cowardly'. Before 'bad' became common, Old English used 'yfel' (later 'evil') to describe the opposite of 'good'. By the 14th century 'bad' had expanded from moral worthlessness to cover poor quality, unpleasantness, and severity — the wide range of meanings it still carries today.