Synonyms of bad

bad 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbad 

1

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard

a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unacceptable
• wrong
• poor
• lame
• horrible
• terrible
• awful
• deficient
• disastrous
• flawed
• pathetic
• unsatisfactory
• dreadful
• bastard
• brutal
• crummy
• sour
• suboptimal
• wretched
• lousy
• substandard
• subpar
• lacking
• ill
• from hunger
• inadequate
• inferior
• wanting
• defective
• off
• rotten
• crumby
• dissatisfactory
• bush
• wack
• useless
• paltry
• punk
• short
• miserable
• under par
• worthless
• insufficient
• below par
• gross
• abysmal
• bush-league
• atrocious
• horrendous
• deplorable
• detestable
• damnable
• lesser
• stinky
• vile
• unspeakable
• faulty
• sucky
• mediocre
• crappy
• shoddy
• egregious
• common
• abominable
• execrable
• gnarly
• odious
• bum
• reprehensible
• flagrant
• cheesy
• low-grade
• trashy
• low-rent
• rubbishy
• valueless
• shabby
• sleazy
• meager
• second-rate
• meagre
• skimpy
• bitchin'
• junky
• villainous
• coarse
• miserly
• stingy
• scurrilous
• scanty
• mean
• fake
• spare
• miscreant
• counterfeit
• phoney
• phony
• cut-rate
• sham
• niggardly
• skimp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• acceptable
• adequate
• satisfactory
• okay
• decent
• fine
• great
• standard
• tolerable
• OK
• all right
• excellent
• respectable
• better
• perfect
• passable
• wonderful
• classical
• classic
• terrific
• superior
• splendid
• superb
• special
• divine
• marvelous
• sufficient
• mean
• prime
• marvellous
• noble
• stellar
• neat
• choice
• fabulous
• heavenly
• sensational
• top
• exceptional
• dandy
• superlative
• grand
• first-class
• par excellence
• swell
• fancy
• keen
• slick
• average
• nifty
• mediocre
• sterling
• minimal
• premium
• banner
• fair
• boss
• capital
• unsurpassed
• useful
• suitable
• A1
• worthy
• high-grade
• middling
• borderline
• top-notch
• first-rate
• groovy
• high-test
• tip-top
• crackerjack
• bang-up
• supernal
• jim-dandy
• so-so
• satisfying
• unexceptional
• gratifying

2

as in evil

not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable

stealing is just plain bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

• evil
• immoral
• unlawful
• sinful
• vicious
• dark
• vile
• wicked
• wrong
• rotten
• ugly
• obscene
• villainous
• corrupt
• infamous
• cruel
• improper
• offensive
• illegal
• nefarious
• unethical
• unauthorized
• cursed
• dirty
• iniquitous
• nasty
• unsavory
• unrighteous
• condemned
• prohibited
• ill
• naughty
• contemptible
• atrocious
• sick
• mean
• disreputable
• forbidden
• incorrect
• despicable
• sordid
• ignoble
• infernal
• objectionable
• unhealthy
• dishonest
• fallen
• reprehensible
• miserable
• pernicious
• snide
• loose
• depraved
• perverted
• base
• ungodly
• lousy
• blameworthy
• unwholesome
• noxious
• degenerate
• censurable
• scrofulous
• debased
• discouraged
• dissolute
• low
• unclean
• debauched
• pestilential
• wretched
• unscrupulous
• libertine
• evil-minded
• indecent
• unseemly
• outlawed
• execrable
• barred
• blamable
• unprincipled
• proscribed
• dishonorable
• vulgar
• curst
• low-minded
• cussed
• errant
• disallowed
• unbecoming
• banned
• reprobate
• erring
• indecorous
• defiling
• interdicted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• right
• moral
• decent
• high
• honorable
• virtuous
• honest
• ethical
• just
• legitimate
• righteous
• sublime
• noble
• legal
• upright
• permitted
• lofty
• reputable
• permissible
• scrupulous
• elevated
• principled
• authorized
• licensed
• proper
• correct
• decent
• endorsed
• approved
• allowed
• promoted
• clean
• sanctioned
• supported
• perfect
• high-minded
• exemplary
• white
• pure
• encouraged
• commendable
• blameless
• creditable
• innocent
• seemly
• wholesome
• law-abiding
• worthy
• decorous
• guiltless
• unobjectionable
• immaculate
• indorsed
• spotless
• venerable
• irreproachable
• inoffensive
• incorruptible
• chaste
• respected
• unerring
• abetted
• uncorrupted
• esteemed
• squeaky-clean
• unfallen
• lily-white
• upstanding

3

as in harmful

causing or capable of causing harm

sitting too close to the television is said to be bad for the eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harmful
• detrimental
• dangerous
• adverse
• damaging
• hazardous
• evil
• poisonous
• injurious
• deleterious
• infectious
• ill
• pernicious
• prejudicial
• wicked
• hurtful
• noxious
• baneful
• mischievous
• baleful
• destructive
• unsafe
• deadly
• nocuous
• hostile
• risky
• unfriendly
• sinister
• lethal
• ominous
• threatening
• infective
• venomous
• insidious
• inimical
• fatal
• contagious
• perilous
• unhealthy
• menacing
• unhealthful
• nasty
• unwholesome
• unsound
• pestilential
• killer
• malignant
• ruinous
• pestilent
• pestiferous
• parlous
• jeopardizing
• imperilling
• imperiling
• noisome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• safe
• benign
• good
• harmless
• beneficial
• useful
• innocent
• innocuous
• favorable
• advantageous
• inoffensive
• healthy
• helpful
• propitious
• wholesome
• healthful
• sound
• remedial
• anodyne
• salutary
• curative
• hurtless
• salubrious
• palliative
• secure
• benignant
• nontoxic
• nondestructive
• nonpoisonous
• nonfatal
• noninfectious
• noncorrosive
• nonlethal
• nonpolluting
• nonvenomous

4

as in naughty

engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior

the children were bad, so they didn't get dessert

Synonyms & Similar Words

• naughty
• mischievous
• rude
• selfish
• contrary
• childish
• improper
• rebellious
• errant
• wicked
• misbehaving
• immature
• froward
• wild
• disrespectful
• evil
• defiant
• uncontrollable
• corrupt
• impudent
• impolite
• juvenile
• wilful
• wayward
• insolent
• uncouth
• disobedient
• balky
• unmannerly
• wrongheaded
• indecorous
• unruly
• obstreperous
• recalcitrant
• intractable
• unkind
• headstrong
• dissolute
• untoward
• ornery
• perverse
• willful
• thoughtless
• ungovernable
• refractory
• rowdy
• waggish
• ill-natured
• knavish
• impish
• prankish
• roguish
• ill-mannered
• disorderly
• inconsiderate
• elfish
• restive
• monkeying
• mutinous
• ruffianly
• unkindly
• rascally
• monkeyish
• infantile
• insurgent
• transgressing
• pixieish
• babyish
• puerile
• arch
• kiddish
• jejune
• disobliging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nice
• correct
• moral
• proper
• behaved
• decent
• orderly
• clean
• dutiful
• compliant
• respectable
• complying
• obedient
• submissive
• divine
• polite
• thoughtful
• courteous
• acquiescent
• kindly
• pleasant
• heavenly
• decorous
• considerate
• behaving
• angelic
• amenable
• amiable
• docile
• cherubic
• modest
• tractable
• good-natured
• complaisant
• mannerly
• mature
• angelical
• adult
• discreet
• governable
• obliging
• grown-up

5

as in sad

feeling unhappiness

hearing about the world's miseries always makes him feel bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sad
• unhappy
• miserable
• depressed
• heartbroken
• sorry
• upset
• worried
• melancholy
• disappointed
• uneasy
• hopeless
• troubled
• sorrowful
• woeful
• wretched
• gloomy
• mournful
• joyless
• depressing
• dejected
• glum
• doleful
• woebegone
• blue
• down
• suicidal
• disconsolate
• heartsick
• low
• melancholic
• forlorn
• downcast
• inconsolable
• droopy
• crestfallen
• saddened
• brokenhearted
• distressed
• despondent
• discouraged
• hangdog
• downhearted
• low-spirited
• down in the mouth
• heavyhearted
• cast down
• sunk
• despairing
• heartsore
• aggrieved
• bleak
• tearful
• grieving
• dispirited
• regretful
• morbid
• dismal
• somber
• disheartened
• unquiet
• lugubrious
• dark
• weeping
• grey
• desolate
• anguished
• gray
• dreary
• dolorous
• cheerless
• lachrymose
• agonized
• black
• rueful
• morose
• sullen
• plaintive
• sombre
• wailing
• murky
• darkening
• comfortless
• saturnine
• elegiacal
• elegiac
• drear
• funereal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• glad
• cheerful
• joyous
• joyful
• blissful
• cheery
• sunny
• upbeat
• gleeful
• ecstatic
• jubilant
• buoyant
• exuberant
• jolly
• merry
• delighted
• buoyed
• euphoric
• optimistic
• rapturous
• jovial
• excited
• exultant
• rosy
• chipper
• hopeful
• jocular
• enraptured
• rhapsodic
• mirthful
• blithe
• vital
• jocose
• jocund
• sanguine
• overjoyed
• rhapsodical
• elated
• energetic
• exhilarated
• content
• satisfied
• spirited
• gladdened
• frisky
• careless
• gladsome
• perky
• laughing
• smiling
• blithesome
• encouraged
• lively
• bouncing
• pleased
• animated
• vivacious
• peppy
• thrilled
• springy
• entranced
• sprightly
• lightsome
• jaunty
• unconcerned
• zippy
• carefree
• gratified
• boon
• cavalier
• lighthearted
• easygoing
• grinning
• sprightful
• heartened
• insouciant
• beaming
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care

6

as in defective

having a fault

a bad video connection that is causing some picture loss

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defective
• imperfect
• flawed
• damaged
• faulty
• incomplete
• broken
• inadequate
• amiss
• insufficient
• spoiled
• hurt
• fallible
• on the blink
• injured
• impaired
• crippled
• marred
• harmed
• blemished
• disfigured
• deficient
• vitiated
• wanting
• defaced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• perfect
• whole
• entire
• flawless
• complete
• impeccable
• intact
• faultless
• undamaged
• unimpaired
• unspoiled
• unblemished

7

as in rotten

having undergone organic breakdown

I think the milk has turned bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rotten
• spoiled
• corrupted
• putrid
• decomposed
• rotting
• decayed
• polluted
• putrefied
• soured
• sour
• contaminated
• addled
• turned
• rancid
• deteriorated
• tainted
• impure
• fermented
• fouled
• degenerated
• corroded
• crumbled
• curdled
• off
• decaying
• sourish
• moldy
• decomposing
• disintegrated
• defiled
• putrescent
• disintegrating
• rank
• gangrenous
• mildewy
• putrefying
• moldering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• sweet
• fresh
• preserved
• undecomposed
• untouched
• pristine
• unspoiled
• uncontaminated
• unpolluted
• untainted
• undefiled

8

as in unpleasant

not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

the air in the damp basement had a very bad smell

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unpleasant
• harsh
• unpleasing
• sour
• horrible
• awful
• ugly
• nasty
• bitter
• rotten
• disgusting
• sickening
• dreadful
• wicked
• shocking
• disagreeable
• hideous
• unwelcome
• distasteful
• unpalatable
• sick
• displeasing
• annoying
• uncongenial
• unsavory
• icky
• vile
• unlovely
• yucky
• yukky
• hateful
• horrid
• irritating
• obnoxious
• appalling
• foul
• abominable
• gross
• horrendous
• offensive
• loathsome
• odious
• revolting
• repulsive
• obscene
• ghastly
• scandalous
• repugnant
• abhorrent
• miserable
• hellish
• unholy
• invidious
• villainous
• nauseous
• repellent
• aggravating
• wretched
• nauseating
• bilious
• beastly
• god-awful
• lousy
• vexing
• crappy
• gnarly
• crummy
• seamy
• noisome
• revulsive
• galling
• sucky
• repellant
• crumby
• cruddy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• nice
• pleasant
• grateful
• agreeable
• welcome
• satisfying
• pleasurable
• congenial
• gratifying
• palatable
• delightful
• delicious
• pleasing
• sweet
• friendly
• charming
• dreamy
• amiable
• jolly
• kindly
• felicitous
• delectable
• cheery

9

as in terrible

of low quality

bad shoes that fell apart within a week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• poor
• cheap
• inferior
• rotten
• common
• coarse
• worthless
• useless
• mediocre
• crappy
• shoddy
• miserable
• lousy
• bum
• wretched
• rubbishy
• cheesy
• low-grade
• junky
• execrable
• trashy
• low-rent
• sleazy
• second-rate
• counterfeit
• fake
• schlocky
• shlocky
• cheapjack
• trumpery
• shlock
• schlock
• gimcrack
• lackluster
• cut-rate
• indifferent
• el cheapo
• valueless
• bargain-basement
• tawdry
• gaudy
• second-class
• shabby
• swanky
• showy
• meretricious
• flashy
• kitschy
• garish
• glitzy
• tacky
• ostentatious
• seedy
• kitsch
• swank
• splashy
• sham
• phoney
• phony
• brummagem
• ultracheap
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• excellent
• fine
• superior
• first-class
• high-grade
• handsome
• elegant
• first-rate
• top-notch
• tasteful
• polished
• refined
• handcrafted

10

as in poorly

temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body

I've been feeling bad all week with this cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poorly
• sick
• shaky
• ill
• down
• unhealthy
• unwell
• weak
• out of sorts
• under the weather
• dizzy
• peaky
• ailing
• troubled
• unsound
• sickened
• peaked
• indisposed
• punk
• lame
• symptomatic
• fragile
• disabled
• run-down
• sickish
• lousy
• feeble
• squeamish
• cruddy
• nauseous
• queasy
• diseased
• seedy
• challenged
• seasick
• weakly
• woozy
• afflicted
• disordered
• achy
• queazy
• nauseated
• sickly
• qualmish
• decrepit
• invalid
• halt
• feverish
• debilitated
• infirm
• incapacitated
• airsick
• hypochondriacal
• frail
• carsick
• hypochondriac
• light-headed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• well
• whole
• sound
• healthy
• wholesome
• healthful
• better
• fit
• conditioned
• hale
• cured
• improved
• strong
• tough
• able-bodied
• recovering
• robust
• lusty
• hardy
• well-conditioned
• mending
• hearty
• stalwart
• rugged
• flourishing
• thriving
• bouncing
• flush
• blooming
• chipper
• rehabilitated
• recuperating
• convalescing

11

as in null

having no legal or binding force

all known claims on the property were dismissed by the court as bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

• null
• invalid
• void
• illegal
• null and void
• worthless
• inoperative
• useless
• nonvalid
• nonbinding
• nugatory
• ineffective
• ineffectual

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• valid
• legal
• binding
• working

12

as in malicious

slang having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it

with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude

Synonyms & Similar Words

• malicious
• cruel
• vicious
• hateful
• nasty
• malignant
• spiteful
• malevolent
• bitchy
• bitter
• virulent
• mean
• harsh
• despiteful
• malign
• poisonous
• jealous
• evil
• venomous
• catty
• obnoxious
• vindictive
• unkind
• hostile
• envious
• scurvy
• devious
• disparaging
• resentful
• contemptuous
• derogatory
• acrimonious
• snotty
• baneful
• disdainful
• jaundiced
• vitriolic
• snakelike
• snide
• unkindly
• opprobrious
• scornful
• unloving
• rancorous
• caustic
• inimical
• baleful
• deprecating
• scoundrelly
• mean-spirited
• acrid
• scathing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• benign
• loving
• benevolent
• warm
• sympathetic
• kind
• nice
• pleasant
• friendly
• compassionate
• kindly
• agreeable
• gracious
• sweet
• amiable
• cordial
• benignant
• unmalicious
• genial
• affable
• affectionate
• amorous
• kindhearted
• good-hearted
• warmhearted
• tender
• humane
• noble
• humanitarian
• altruistic
• magnanimous
• philanthropic
• tenderhearted
• high-minded
• philanthropical

bad

2 of 3

adverb

as in badly

in an unsatisfactory way

you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poorly
• badly
• horribly
• inadequately
• terribly
• unsatisfactorily
• deficiently
• wretchedly
• awfully
• unacceptably
• incorrectly
• dreadfully
• lousily
• disastrously
• atrociously
• horrifically
• horrendously
• abysmally
• unbearably
• damnably
• intolerably
• execrably
• deplorably
• inappropriately
• rottenly
• grossly
• indecently
• vulgarly
• miserably
• detestably
• unsuitably
• unspeakably
• egregiously
• abominably
• reprehensibly
• vilely
• shoddily
• insufficiently
• flagrantly
• odiously
• naughtily
• shabbily
• meagerly
• inferiorly
• niggardly
• scantily
• skimpily
• sleazily
• trashily
• sparely
• stingily
• meanly
• scantly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• fine
• well
• okay
• all right
• so-so
• adequately
• satisfactorily
• nicely
• tolerably
• OK
• acceptably
• correctly
• appropriately
• rightly
• decently
• suitably
• seemly
• passably
• exactly
• precisely
• fittingly
• ideally
• faithfully
• palatably
• respectably
• felicitously
• congruously
• decorously
• meetly
• satisfyingly
• gratifyingly

bad

3 of 3

noun

as in wrong

that which is morally unacceptable

there's bad and good in people of every race and nationality

Synonyms & Similar Words

• evil
• wrong
• badness
• ill
• sin
• evilness
• sinfulness
• immorality
• villainy
• evildoing
• iniquity
• darkness
• vileness
• deviltry
• wickedness
• corruption
• atrocity
• heinousness
• satanism
• rot
• diabolism
• decay
• enormity
• canker
• cancer
• devilishness
• iniquitousness
• squalor
• devilry
• balefulness
• depravedness
• atrociousness
• perversion
• taboo
• abomination
• degeneracy
• indecency
• scurrility
• fiendishness
• tabu
• depravity
• debauchery
• anathema
• scurrilousness
• malefaction
• pervertedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• right
• good
• virtue
• morality
• goodness
• integrity
• decency
• honesty
• rectitude
• righteousness
• probity
• uprightness
• virtuousness

Try This Instead

For

Try This

bad news

terrible news

awful news

difficult news

unpleasant news

unfortunate news

bad weather

poor weather

awful weather

terrible weather

nasty weather

unfavorable weather

bad luck

unfortunate luck

rotten luck

miserable luck

horrible luck

lousy luck

a bad idea

a foolish idea

a dangerous idea

a poor idea

an unwise idea

an awful idea

bad behavior

malicious behavior

naughty behavior

poor behavior

terrible behavior

awful behavior

Examples of bad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As a result, women, including those who didn’t intend to end a pregnancy, are increasingly suffering worse medical care. —Nadia Lathan, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024

Purge the Fridge Deep cleaning the refrigerator can be a full-day task at worst and typically require at least a couple hours, at best. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024

Adverb

Ignoring one of them can lead you to bad-looking maps no one would prefer. —J. Richard Gott, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2021

The researchers think that by expelling their bad-tasting innards when fish are nibbling nearby, sea squirts may drive the fish away. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2015

Noun

Then a new big bad entered the arena. —Peter Rubin, Longreads, 15 Apr. 2022

So what was the rationale behind introducing our new big bad in the exact opposite way? —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2023

Phrases Containing bad

• bad blood