not bad

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

bad¹ /bæd/   adj., worse/wɜrs/  worst /wɜrst/ ;
(Slang  ) bad•der, bad•dest for 16;
n., adv. 
adj. 

1. not good in any manner or degree:
   bad traffic.
2. wicked or evil in character:
   the bad witch.
3. of low or inferior quality;
   deficient:
   bad roads.
4. disobedient or naughty:
   She was a very bad girl today.
5. inaccurate;
   incorrect:
   a bad guess.
6. causing injury or harm:
   Sugar is bad for the teeth.
7. suffering from sickness, pain, or injury:
   He was so bad yesterday that he stayed in bed.
8. diseased, decayed, or weakened:
   a bad heart.
9. spoiled or rotten:
   The milk has gone bad.
10. disagreeable;
    unpleasant:
    bad dreams.
11. severe;
    intense:
    a bad flood.
12. regretful, sorry, sad, or upset:
    He felt bad about leaving.
13. showing or having a lack of skill or ability:
    What a bad actor!
    [ be + ~ + at]:
    I was really bad at drawing.
14. unfortunate or unfavorable:
    bad news.
15. [before a noun] (of a debt) unlikely to be paid and so treated as a loss:
    bad loans.
16. Slang Terms Slang. outstandingly good;
    first-rate:
    He is one bad drummer.

n. [uncountable]

17. something that is bad:
    to take the bad with the good.

adv. 

18. [Informal.] badly:
    She wanted it bad enough to steal it.

Idioms

19. Idioms badly or bad off, poor;
    destitute:
    They were badly off during the Depression.
20. Idioms in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress:
    She's in a bad way now.
21. Idioms not (half, so, or too) bad, somewhat good;
    tolerable:
    not half bad for a first effort.
22. Idioms too bad:
    • (used to express regret or disappointment):
      You didn't pass? Oh, that's too bad.
    • (used to express impatience or lack of concern ):
      You don't like it here? Too bad.

bad•ness, n. [uncountable]
Usage

You can use the adjective bad, meaning "unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,'' after such verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: The music sounds bad.The locker room smells bad. You look pretty bad; are you sick? After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. After the verb feel, you can also use the adjective badly when describing physical or emotional states: She was feeling badly that day. That use is considered standard, although bad is more common in formal writing. bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal situations: He wanted it pretty bad. See also badly, good.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

bad¹  (bad), adj., worse, worst;
 (Slang) bad•der, bad•dest for 36;
n.;
adv. 
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. Linguistics (of a word, speech, or writing)
    • vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous:
      bad language.
    • 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. Communications, Business 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. Sport failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court;
    missing the mark;
    not well aimed.
36. Slang Terms outstandingly excellent;
    first-rate:
    He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.
37. Idioms in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.
38. Idioms not bad:
    • tolerably good;
      not without merit:
      The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
    • not difficult:
      Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.
      Also, not so bad, not too bad. 
39. Idioms too bad, unfortunate or disappointing:
    It's too bad that he didn't go to college.

n. 

40. that which is bad:
    You have to take the bad with the good.
41. a bad condition, character, or quality:
    His health seemed to go from bad to worse.
42. (used with a pl. v.) evil persons collectively (usually prec. by the):
    The bad are always stirring up trouble.
43. Idioms go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally;
    go to ruin:
    She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.
44. in bad, [Informal.]
    • in trouble or distress.
    • in disfavor:
      He's in bad with his father-in-law.
45. Idioms to the bad, in arrears:
    He's $100 to the bad on his debt.

adv. Informal. 

46. badly:
    He wanted it bad enough to steal it.
47. Idioms bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances;
    destitute:
    His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job.
    Also, badly off. Cf. well-off.

• Middle English badde, perh. akin to Old English bæddel hermaphrodite, bædling womanish man 1250–1300

bad′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. depraved, corrupt, base, sinful, criminal, atrocious.
  Bad, evil, ill, wicked are closest in meaning in reference to that which is lacking in moral qualities or is actually vicious and reprehensible.
  Bad is the broadest and simplest term:
  a bad man; bad habits.
  Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law:
  evil practices.
  Ill now appears mainly in certain fixed expressions, with a milder implication than that in evil:
  ill will; ill-natured.
  Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong:
  a wicked plan.
• 10. putrefied.
• 21. adverse, unlucky, unhappy.

Usage

The adjective bad meaning "unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,'' is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing:
I feel bad from overeating.
She felt badly about her friend's misfortune.
When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs:
She reacted badly to the criticism.
Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts:
I didn't do too bad on the tests.
He wants money so bad it hurts.
See also badly, good. 

bad²  (bad), v. [Archaic.]

1. a pt. of bid. 

bad,¹ +n. 

1. my bad, My fault! My mistake!

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bad / bæd/ adjective (worse, worst)

1. not good; of poor quality; inadequate; inferior
2. (often followed by at) lacking skill or talent; incompetent: a bad painter, bad at sports
3. (often followed by for) harmful
4. immoral; evil
5. naughty; mischievous; disobedient
6. rotten; decayed; spoiled: a bad egg
7. severe; intense: a bad headache
8. incorrect; wrong; faulty: bad pronunciation
9. ill or in pain (esp in the phrase feel bad)
10. regretful, sorry, or upset (esp in the phrase feel bad about)
11. unfavourable; distressing: bad news, a bad business
12. offensive; unpleasant; disagreeable: bad language, bad temper
13. not valid or sound; void: a bad cheque
14. not recoverable: a bad debt
15. (badder, baddest) good; excellent
16. go bad ⇒ to putrefy; spoil
17. go from bad to worse ⇒ to deteriorate even more
18. in a bad way ⇒ seriously ill, through sickness or injury
19. in trouble of any kind
20. in someone's bad books ⇒
    See book21
21. make the best of a bad job ⇒ to manage as well as possible in unfavourable circumstances
22. not bad, not so bad ⇒ passable; fair; fairly good
23. too bad ⇒ (often used dismissively) regrettable

noun

1. unfortunate or unpleasant events collectively (often in the phrase take the bad with the good)
2. an immoral or degenerate state (often in the phrase go to the bad)
3. the debit side of an account: £200 to the bad

adverb

1. badly: to want something bad

Etymology: 13th Century: probably from bæd-, as the first element of Old English bǣddel hermaphrodite

ˈbaddish adjective

ˈbadness noun

bad / bæd/ verb

1. a variant of bade