bad: Meaning and Definition of

bad

Pronunciation: (bad), [key]
— adj., n., adv. worse, worst bad•der, bad•dest
—adj.
  1. not good in any manner or degree.
  2. having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible: There is no such thing as a bad boy.
  3. of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient: a bad diamond; a bad spark plug.
  4. inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use: bad heating; Living conditions in some areas are very bad.
  5. inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty: a bad guess.
  6. invalid, unsound, or false: a bad insurance claim; bad judgment.
  7. causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful: Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
  8. suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill: He felt bad from eating the green apples.
  9. not healthy or in good physical condition; diseased, decayed, or physically weakened: A bad heart kept him out of the army.
  10. tainted, spoiled, or rotten, esp. to the point of being inedible: The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.
  11. having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency; unfavorable: The drought is bad for the farmers. His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.
  12. causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance; disagreeable; unpleasant: I had a bad flight to Chicago.
  13. easily provoked to anger; irascible: a bad temper.
  14. cross, irritable, or surly: If I don't have my morning coffee, I'm in a bad mood all day.
  15. more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual; severe: a bad attack of asthma.
  16. causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction: a bad flood.
  17. regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset: He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.
  18. disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving: If you're bad at school, you'll go to bed without supper.
  19. disreputable or dishonorable: He's getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.
  20. displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment: a bad painting; Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.
  21. causing distress; unfortunate or unfavorable: I'm afraid I have bad news for you.
  22. not suitable or appropriate; disadvantageous or dangerous: It was a bad day for fishing.
  23. inclement; considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc.: We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.
  24. disagreeable or offensive to the senses: a bad odor.
  25. exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity: The room was decorated in bad taste.
  26. not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct; coarse: bad manners.
  27. (of a word, speech, or writing) bad language.
    1. vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous:bad language.
    2. not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect:He speaks bad English.
  28. unattractive, esp. because of a lack of pleasing proportions: She has a bad figure.
  29. (of the complexion) marred by defects; pockmarked or pimply; blemished: bad skin.
  30. not profitable or worth the price paid: The land was a bad buy.
  31. deemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss: a bad debt.
  32. ill-spent; wasted: Don't throw good money after bad money.
  33. counterfeit; not genuine: There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.
  34. having the character of a villain; villainous: In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.
  35. failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court; missing the mark; not well aimed.
  36. outstandingly excellent; first-rate: He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.
  37. in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.
  38. The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
    1. tolerably good; not without merit:The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
    2. not difficult:Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.Also,not so bad,not too bad.
  39. unfortunate or disappointing: It's too bad that he didn't go to college.
—n.
  1. that which is bad: You have to take the bad with the good.
  2. a bad condition, character, or quality: His health seemed to go from bad to worse.
  3. evil persons collectively (usually prec. by the): The bad are always stirring up trouble.
  4. to deteriorate physically or morally; go to ruin: She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.
  5. He's in bad with his father-in-law.
    1. in trouble or distress.
    2. in disfavor:He's in bad with his father-in-law.
  6. in arrears: He's $100 to the bad on his debt.
—adv.

bad

Pronunciation: (bad), [key]
— v. Archaic.
  1. a pt. of
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also:
  • bad (Thesaurus)