badly
- 01 A2 Elementary
adv.in a way that is not good, successful, or correct.
adv.in a poor, unsatisfactory, or incompetent manner.
Simple“The team played badly and lost the game by three goals.”
In context“The report was so badly written that the board members struggled to understand the primary recommendations.”
UsageUsually follows the verb or the object of the verb.
PitfallHe plays the piano very bad. He plays the piano very badly.Use the adverb 'badly' to describe an action (verb), not the adjective 'bad'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
adv.very much or to a great degree, especially when you want or need something.
adv.used as an intensifier to indicate a high degree of need, desire, or severity.
Simple“He wanted the job so badly that he practiced his interview for days.”
In context“The local infrastructure was badly damaged during the storm, requiring immediate financial intervention from the government.”
UsageCommonly collocates with verbs like 'want', 'need', 'damage', or 'hurt'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.feeling sick or unwell.
adj.describing a state of ill health or physical sickness.
Simple“He's been feeling a bit badly lately and decided to stay in bed.”
In context“The old man looked quite badly after his long journey through the winter cold.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is specific to certain British dialects, particularly in Northern England; most English speakers use 'ill' or 'unwell' instead.
Usage badly defeated
From Middle English badly, baddely, baddeliche, equivalent to bad + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.