badly | ||
1. | [ adverb ] to a severe or serious degree | |
Synonyms: | severely seriously gravely | |
Examples: | "fingers so badly frozen they had to be amputated" "badly injured" "a severely impaired heart" "is gravely ill" "was seriously ill" |
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Related terms: | severe dangerous dangerous dangerous | |
2. | [ adverb ] (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well | |
Synonyms: | poorly ill | |
Examples: | "he was ill prepared" "the car runs badly" "he performed badly on the exam" "the team played poorly" "ill-fitting clothes" "an ill-conceived plan" |
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Related terms: | well combining_form mediocre mediocre | |
3. | [ adverb ] with great intensity | |
Synonyms: | bad | |
Examples: | "the injury hurt badly" "the buildings were badly shaken" (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly' as in "it hurts bad" or "we need water bad") |
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Related terms: | bad bad | |
4. | [ adverb ] without skill or in a displeasing manner | |
Examples: | "she writes badly" "I think he paints very badly" |
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Related terms: | well | |
5. | [ adverb ] in a disadvantageous way; to someone's disadvantage | |
Synonyms: | disadvantageously | |
Examples: | "the venture turned out badly for the investors" "angry that the case was settled disadvantageously for them" |
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Related terms: | well well disadvantageous disadvantageous | |
6. | [ adverb ] very much; strongly | |
Synonyms: | bad | |
Examples: | "I wanted it badly enough to work hard for it" "the cables had sagged badly" "they were badly in need of help" "he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it" |
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7. | [ adverb ] unfavorably or with disapproval | |
Synonyms: | ill | |
Examples: | "tried not to speak ill of the dead" "thought badly of him for his lack of concern" |
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Related terms: | well unfavorable unfavorable | |
8. | [ adverb ] in a disobedient or naughty way | |
Synonyms: | naughtily mischievously | |
Examples: | "he behaved badly in school" "he mischievously looked for a chance to embarrass his sister" "behaved naughtily when they had guests and was sent to his room" |
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Related terms: | mischievous mischievous mischievous | |
9. | [ adverb ] evilly or wickedly | |
Examples: | "treated his parents badly" "to steal is to act badly" |
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Related terms: | bad bad | |
10. | [ adverb ] with unusual distress or resentment or regret or emotional display | |
Examples: | "they took their defeat badly" "took her father's death badly" "conducted himself very badly at the time of the earthquake" |
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Related terms: | well | |
Similar spelling: |
bawdily bathyal |