What does "bad" mean?

1. (not good / low quality) not good in quality, or not what you wanted. 2. (behaving poorly) used to describe a person or animal that does not follow the rules. 3. (harmful or unhealthy) something that can hurt your health or cause problems. 4. (spoiled or rotten) food that is no longer safe to eat. 5. (excellent or cool) very good, stylish, or impressive. 6. (a mistake) a way to say you made a mistake. 7. (unwanted goods) something that people do not want and would pay to get rid of. 8. (very much) very much or very strongly.

How do you use "bad"?

Commonly used as a predicative adjective after linking verbs. Often followed by the preposition 'for'. Commonly used with the verb 'go' (e.g., 'the milk went bad'). Almost exclusively used in the fixed expression 'my bad'. Used as a countable or uncountable noun in economic theory. Usually follows verbs like 'want' or 'need'.

bad — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I feel badly about the mistake."?

No — say "I feel bad about the mistake.". Use 'bad' after linking verbs like 'feel', 'look', or 'seem' to describe your state of mind or health.

Word

01not good / low quality

A1 · Beginner

adj. not good in quality, or not what you wanted.

adj. of poor quality, inadequate, or failing to meet a required standard.

“The weather was really bad yesterday, so we stayed inside all day.”

“The company's reputation suffered after a series of bad reviews highlighted the inconsistent quality of their customer service.”

Usage

Commonly used as a predicative adjective after linking verbs.

Pitfall

I feel badly about the mistake.

I feel bad about the mistake.

Use 'bad' after linking verbs like 'feel', 'look', or 'seem' to describe your state of mind or health.

Synonyms

poor terrible unsatisfactory

Antonyms

good excellent

02behaving poorly

A1 · Beginner

adj. used to describe a person or animal that does not follow the rules.

adj. behaving in a disobedient, mischievous, or socially unacceptable manner.

“The teacher told the student that his behavior in class was bad.”

“The puppy was being bad again, chewing on the expensive leather sofa while its owners were in the other room.”

Teaching tip

Often used by parents or teachers when speaking to children.

Synonyms

naughty disobedient mischievous

Antonyms

goodwell-behaved

03harmful or unhealthy

A2 · Elementary

adj. something that can hurt your health or cause problems.

adj. having a deleterious effect on health, well-being, or safety.

“Eating too much sugar is bad for your teeth.”

“Prolonged exposure to blue light from screens late at night is considered bad for maintaining a healthy sleep cycle.”

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'for'.

Synonyms

harmful damaging unhealthy

Antonyms

healthy beneficial

04spoiled or rotten

B1 · Intermediate

adj. food that is no longer safe to eat.

adj. referring to food that has decayed or perished and is no longer fit for consumption.

“Don't drink that milk; it smells like it has gone bad.”

“The entire shipment of produce went bad because the refrigeration system failed during the long journey across the border.”

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'go' (e.g., 'the milk went bad').

Synonyms

rotten spoiled off

Antonyms

fresh

05excellent or cool

C1 · Advanced Slang

adj. very good, stylish, or impressive.

adj. denoting excellence, stylishness, or impressive toughness; a case of semantic inversion.

“That new car he bought is so bad.”

“In the eighties, 'bad' became a popular slang term to describe something that was actually incredibly impressive or fashionable.”

Teaching tip

This is a classic example of 'reclaimed' or 'inverted' slang where a negative word is used positively.

Synonyms

cool excellent tough

06a mistake

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a way to say you made a mistake.

n. an admission of a mistake or fault, typically used in the phrase 'my bad'.

“I forgot to bring your book back today—my bad.”

“When the waiter realized he had brought the wrong order to the table, he simply shrugged and said, 'My bad.'”

Usage

Almost exclusively used in the fixed expression 'my bad'.

Teaching tip

Tell students this is a very casual way to apologize for small errors, but not for serious offenses.

Synonyms

mistake error fault

07unwanted goods

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Economics Technical

n. something that people do not want and would pay to get rid of.

n. an item or service that has negative utility to the consumer.

“Pollution is an example of an economic bad.”

“Economists distinguish between 'goods' that increase utility and 'bads', such as household waste or industrial pollution, which individuals pay to avoid.”

Usage

Used as a countable or uncountable noun in economic theory.

Teaching tip

This is a highly specialized term; students will likely only see it in academic economic texts.

Antonyms

good

08very much

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · American English

adv. very much or very strongly.

adv. used as an intensifier to mean 'to a great degree' or 'badly'.

“I want to go on vacation so bad.”

“After working twelve hours straight without a break, he needed a glass of water really bad.”

Usage

Usually follows verbs like 'want' or 'need'.

Teaching tip

In formal writing, students should use 'badly' instead of 'bad' as an adverb.

Synonyms

badly greatly intensely

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “bad” in context.

01. bad luck 02. bad news 03. bad decisions 04. bad thing 05. bad things 06. bad behaviour 07. bad idea 08. bad time

From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”). Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun badą, whence also Proto-Germanic badōną (“to frighten”), Old Saxon undarbadōn (“to frighten”), Norwegian Nynorsk bada (“to weigh down, press”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, press, push, oppress”).