1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
I'm afraid you performed quite badly in our last rehearsal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terribly
to a great degree
blood donors are badly needed this time of year
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Recent Examples of badly
The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes
by John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira
Judis and Teixeira examine why the Democratic Party has hemorrhaged the support of white working-class and lower-middle-class voters—and argue that the party now badly needs to take a hard look at itself.
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Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2024
Tool handles may need to be replaced if they’re badly warped or cracked.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
There’s an escapist quality to living in a world of great privilege where people behave badly.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
Givens opened the door and jumped out, rolling onto the street, badly scraping her arms, legs and stomach.
—John Diedrich, Journal Sentinel, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for badly 
Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2024
Tool handles may need to be replaced if they’re badly warped or cracked.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
There’s an escapist quality to living in a world of great privilege where people behave badly.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
Givens opened the door and jumped out, rolling onto the street, badly scraping her arms, legs and stomach.
—John Diedrich, Journal Sentinel, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
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Benoit put himself out of position one too many times tonight and some of Detroit’s better scoring chances began with him poorly timing an advance or not controlling the loose puck in the neutral zone.Omar White, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
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Coast Guard aviation leadership, enjoying a terminal two-year appointment before retiring from the Service entirely, were poorly equipped to pivot from the day-to-day business of meeting short-term operational targets into the tough business of grappling with strategic challenges.Craig Hooper, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Foxx’s health was failing terribly, and his vitals were down.Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 10 Dec. 2024
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That actually didn’t turn out terribly and was surprisingly bipartisan at the end.Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Remember, too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly!Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
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That started off bad and got better.Vulture, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2023
Adverb
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The fields of law and insurance are extremely complicated for the layperson, with documents full of terms and concepts that may as well be a foreign language to those unfamiliar with them.Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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These functions are easy to compute in one direction and extremely difficult to reverse.John Pavlus, WIRED, 15 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Thornton appeared, crossing the road from the college, his approach slowed by a very small, dark-haired child who was holding his hand.Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
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Almost all of the editors said this croissant was very plain, lacked flavor, and reminded them more of white bread than a croissant.Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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The actress turned out to have a knack for creating incredibly fun Instagrams, putting her in a pantheon of stars who are just as fun to watch on the super-small screen, that includes Reese Witherspoon, Chrissy Teigen and Gwyneth Paltrow.Alex Apatoff, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
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The documentary highlights his global fame, something which has baffled Mackie, who comes across as incredibly grounded, despite his influence.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Matthieu’s garments while at the house were imaginative and surreal without being too on the nose.Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 13 Dec. 2024
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Human individual rights and protecting them are awesome, too.Makena Kelly, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Roberta Hanley The Invisible House has been visited by celebrities such as Demi Lovato and Alicia Keys, booked as a production space by media brands like Condé Nast, seen in a number of shows including the Most Amazing Vacation Rentals, and is highly rated as an Airbnb listing.Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 11 Dec. 2024
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In the highly divisive political climate of the national election, workplaces were bound to be impacted by employees who couldn't help but bring their politics to the office.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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