Bad

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bæd/
• Australia IPA: /bæːd/
• New Zealand IPA: /bÉ›d/
• Singapore IPA: /bÉ›t/
• Rhymes: -æd

From Middle English bad, badde ("wicked, evil, depraved"), probably a shortening of Old English bæddel ("hermaphrodite") (cf. English much, wench, from Old English myċel, wenċel), from bædan ("to defile"), from Proto-Germanic *bad- (cf. Old High German pad ("hermaphrodite")), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoidʰ- (cf. Welsh baedd ("wild boar"), Latin foedus ("foul, filthy"), foedō ("to defile, pollute")).

Full definition of bad

Adjective

1. Not good; unfavorable; negative.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 10, He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.
2. You have bad credit.
3. Seemingly non-appropriate, in manners, etc.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 7, “… if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. …”
4. It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
5. Not suitable or fitting.
   Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?
6. Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
   Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved.
7. Evil; wicked.
   Be careful. There are bad people in the world.
8. Faulty; not functional.
   I had a bad headlight.
9. (of food) Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
   These apples have gone bad.
10. (of breath) Malodorous, foul.
    Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone.
11. (informal) Bold and daring.
12. (of a need or want) Severe, urgent.
    He is in bad need of a haircut.

Usage notes

If a person says a food (such as chocolate-covered lard) is "bad for you", that person usually means that the food is "unhealthy". Some foods (such as grapes) are bad for dogs (meaning they are unhealthful for dogs) but not bad for humans. Non-foods can also be "bad for you": eating arsenic is bad for you, and smoking cigarettes is also bad for you.

The comparative badder and superlative baddest are nonstandard usage.

Synonyms

• (not good) unfavorable, negative
• (non-appropriate, in manners, etc.)
• (not suitable or fitting)
• (tricky; stressful; unpleasant)
• (evil, wicked) wicked, evil, vile, vicious
• (not functional) faulty
• (of food) rotten
• (of breath) malodorous, foul
• (bold, daring) badass
• (of a need or want) severe, urgent, dire

Antonyms

Derived terms

Adverb

1. (now colloquial) Badly.I didn't do too bad in the last exam.

Noun

1. (slang) error, mistakeSorry, my bad!
• 1993, Mitch Albom, Fab five: basketball, trash talk, the American dream, "My bad, My bad!” Juwan yelled, scowling
• 2003, Zane, Skyscraper, “Chico, you're late again.” I turned around and stared him in his beady eyes. “I missed my bus. My bad, Donald.” “Your bad? Your bad? What kind of English is that?
• 2008, Camika Spencer, Cubicles, Teresa broke out in laughter. “Dang, I sound like I'm talking to my man.” “I tried your cell phone, but you didn't answer.” “I left it at home, Friday. My bad.” “Yeah, your bad.” I laughed. “Really, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.
2. (countable, uncountable, economics) An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good.
• 2011, International Economics: Global Markets and Competition, Imports are an economic good but exports an economic bad. Exports must be produced but are enjoyed by foreign consumers.
• 2011, William J. Boyes, Michael Melvin, Economics, An economic bad is anything that you would pay to get rid of. It is not so hard to think of examples of bads: pollution, garbage, and disease fit the description.

Probably identical to bad, etymology 1, above, especially in the sense "bold, daring".

Adjective

1. (slang) Fantastic.You is bad, man!Also Bek is "bad" at Madden.

From Middle English bad, from Old English bæd, first and third-person singular indicative past tense of biddan ("to ask").

Verb

1. (archaic) Form of Alternative past tense. See bade.

Unknown

Verb

1. (British, dialect, transitive) To shell (a walnut).
• 1876, The Gloucester Journal, Oct. 7, 1876, reported in William John Thomas, Doran (John), Henry Frederick Turle, Joseph Knight, Vernon Horace Rendall, Florence Hayllar, Notes and Queries, page 346A curious specimen of Gloucestershire dialect c»me out in an assault case heard by the Gloucester court magistrates on Saturday. One of the witnesses, speaking of what a girl was doing at the time the assault took place, said she was ' badding ' walnuts in a pigstye. The word is peculiarly provincial : to ' bad ' walnuts is to strip away the husk. The walnut, too, is often called » 'bannut,' and hence the old Gloucestershire phrase, ' Come an' bad the bannuts.'

Anagrams

• ABD ADB, BDA, dab, DAB, dba, DBA, D.B.A.