1bad 
/ˈbæd/ adjective
worse /ˈbæd/ adjective /ˈwɚs/; worst /ˈwɚst/ 1 a : low or poor in quality
▪ a bad repair job ▪ bad work ▪ The house is in bad condition/shape.
b : not correct or proper
▪ bad manners ▪ bad [=incorrect, faulty] grammar ▪ a letter written in bad French ▪ bad spelling ▪ a bad check [=a check that cannot be cashed] — see also bad language 2 a : not pleasant, pleasing, or enjoyable
▪ He had a bad day at the office. ▪ I was having a bad dream. ▪ She made a very bad impression on her future colleagues. ▪ The food tastes bad. ▪ The flower smells bad. ▪ He has bad breath. [=breath that smells bad] ▪ We've been having bad weather lately. ▪ The medicine left a bad taste in his mouth. ▪ It feels bad [=uncomfortable, painful] to stretch out my arm. ▪ I look bad in this hat. = This hat looks bad on me. ▪ That hat doesn't look bad on you. [=that hat looks good on you]
b : having, marked by, or relating to problems, troubles, etc.
▪ good and bad news ▪ They have remained together in good times and bad (times). ▪ It's a bad time for business right now. ▪ a bad omen ▪ bad luck/fortune ▪ Things are looking pretty bad for us at this point. ▪ I have a bad feeling about this. — see also bad blood, bad news
c : not adequate or suitable
▪ I couldn't take a picture because the lighting was bad. ▪ It's a bad day for a picnic. ▪ She made a bad marriage. ▪ Is this a bad moment/time to have a word with you?
d : not producing or likely to produce a good result
▪ a bad deal ▪ a bad risk ▪ a bad idea/plan ▪ The plan has its good points and its bad points. ▪ a bad debt [=a debt that will not be paid] ▪ a bad loan [=a loan that will not be repaid]
e : expressing criticism or disapproval
▪ The movie got bad reviews. 3 a : not healthy : marked or affected by injury or disease
▪ His health is pretty bad. = He's in pretty bad health. ▪ The patient was pretty bad [=ill, sick] last week and even worse yesterday but is doing better now. ▪ He came home early because he was feeling pretty bad. [=he wasn't feeling well] ▪ My father has a bad back/leg. [=a back/leg that is always or often painful] ▪ She has bad eyesight/hearing. ▪ bad teeth
b : causing harm or trouble
▪ a bad diet ▪ a bad influence ▪ bad cholesterol [=a type of cholesterol that can cause serious health problems when there is too much of it in your blood] — often + for ▪ Eating too much can be bad for you. = It can be bad for you to eat too much. ▪ Eating all that candy is bad for your teeth. ▪ Watching too much TV is bad for children. 4 a : not morally good or right : morally evil or wrong
▪ a bad person ▪ bad conduct/behavior ▪ a man of bad character ▪ bad intentions/deeds ▪ It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this movie. — see also bad faith
b : not behaving properly
▪ a bad dog ▪ I'm afraid your son has been a very bad [=naughty] boy. — see also bad boy 5 a : not skillful : not doing or able to do something well
▪ a bad musician ▪ a bad doctor ▪ She was pretty bad in that movie. [=she did not act well] — often + at ▪ a doctor who's bad at treating nervous patients ▪ He's very/really bad at expressing his true feelings.
b : having a tendency not to do something — + about ▪ He's bad about getting to work on time. [=he often fails to get to work on time] ▪ I'm very bad about remembering people's birthdays. [=I often forget people's birthdays] 6 a : not happy or pleased : feeling regret or guilt about something
▪ I feel bad about what happened. [=I regret what happened] ▪ She felt bad that she forgot to call. = She felt bad about forgetting to call.
b : not cheerful or calm
▪ She's in a bad mood. [=an angry mood] ▪ He has a bad temper. [=he's bad-tempered; he becomes angry easily] 7 : serious or severe
▪ She's in bad trouble. ▪ He has a bad cough/cold. ▪ That bruise looks bad: you'd better see a doctor about it. ▪ How bad is the pain? 8 : no longer good to eat or drink : not fresh
▪ the smell of bad fish ▪ Is the milk still good or has it gone bad? [=spoiled] 9 bad·der; bad·dest chiefly US, informal a : very good
▪ He's the baddest guitar player you'll ever hear!
b : very tough or dangerous
▪ Don't mess around with him. He's a bad dude.
▪ a bad repair job ▪ bad work ▪ The house is in bad condition/shape.
b : not correct or proper
▪ bad manners ▪ bad [=incorrect, faulty] grammar ▪ a letter written in bad French ▪ bad spelling ▪ a bad check [=a check that cannot be cashed] — see also bad language
▪ He had a bad day at the office. ▪ I was having a bad dream. ▪ She made a very bad impression on her future colleagues. ▪ The food tastes bad. ▪ The flower smells bad. ▪ He has bad breath. [=breath that smells bad] ▪ We've been having bad weather lately. ▪ The medicine left a bad taste in his mouth. ▪ It feels bad [=uncomfortable, painful] to stretch out my arm. ▪ I look bad in this hat. = This hat looks bad on me. ▪ That hat doesn't look bad on you. [=that hat looks good on you]
b : having, marked by, or relating to problems, troubles, etc.
▪ good and bad news ▪ They have remained together in good times and bad (times). ▪ It's a bad time for business right now. ▪ a bad omen ▪ bad luck/fortune ▪ Things are looking pretty bad for us at this point. ▪ I have a bad feeling about this. — see also bad blood, bad news
c : not adequate or suitable
▪ I couldn't take a picture because the lighting was bad. ▪ It's a bad day for a picnic. ▪ She made a bad marriage. ▪ Is this a bad moment/time to have a word with you?
d : not producing or likely to produce a good result
▪ a bad deal ▪ a bad risk ▪ a bad idea/plan ▪ The plan has its good points and its bad points. ▪ a bad debt [=a debt that will not be paid] ▪ a bad loan [=a loan that will not be repaid]
e : expressing criticism or disapproval
▪ The movie got bad reviews.
▪ His health is pretty bad. = He's in pretty bad health. ▪ The patient was pretty bad [=ill, sick] last week and even worse yesterday but is doing better now. ▪ He came home early because he was feeling pretty bad. [=he wasn't feeling well] ▪ My father has a bad back/leg. [=a back/leg that is always or often painful] ▪ She has bad eyesight/hearing. ▪ bad teeth
b : causing harm or trouble
▪ a bad diet ▪ a bad influence ▪ bad cholesterol [=a type of cholesterol that can cause serious health problems when there is too much of it in your blood] — often + for ▪ Eating too much can be bad for you. = It can be bad for you to eat too much. ▪ Eating all that candy is bad for your teeth. ▪ Watching too much TV is bad for children.
▪ a bad person ▪ bad conduct/behavior ▪ a man of bad character ▪ bad intentions/deeds ▪ It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this movie. — see also bad faith
b : not behaving properly
▪ a bad dog ▪ I'm afraid your son has been a very bad [=naughty] boy. — see also bad boy
▪ a bad musician ▪ a bad doctor ▪ She was pretty bad in that movie. [=she did not act well] — often + at ▪ a doctor who's bad at treating nervous patients ▪ He's very/really bad at expressing his true feelings.
b : having a tendency not to do something — + about ▪ He's bad about getting to work on time. [=he often fails to get to work on time] ▪ I'm very bad about remembering people's birthdays. [=I often forget people's birthdays]
▪ I feel bad about what happened. [=I regret what happened] ▪ She felt bad that she forgot to call. = She felt bad about forgetting to call.
b : not cheerful or calm
▪ She's in a bad mood. [=an angry mood] ▪ He has a bad temper. [=he's bad-tempered; he becomes angry easily]
▪ She's in bad trouble. ▪ He has a bad cough/cold. ▪ That bruise looks bad: you'd better see a doctor about it. ▪ How bad is the pain?
▪ the smell of bad fish ▪ Is the milk still good or has it gone bad? [=spoiled]
▪ He's the baddest guitar player you'll ever hear!
b : very tough or dangerous
▪ Don't mess around with him. He's a bad dude.
a bad job — see job
a bad lot — see lot
bad apple — see apple
come to a bad end — see 1end
from bad to worse
: from a bad state or condition to an even worse state or condition
▪ The company has been struggling for years, and things have recently gone from bad to worse.
▪ The company has been struggling for years, and things have recently gone from bad to worse.
in a bad way
: in a bad condition
▪ Without enough funding, public services are in a pretty bad way right now. ▪ The patient was in a bad way last week but is doing better now.
▪ Without enough funding, public services are in a pretty bad way right now. ▪ The patient was in a bad way last week but is doing better now.
in someone's bad books — see 1book
not bad
: fairly good or quite good
▪ All things considered, she's not a bad singer. [=she's a pretty good singer] ▪ “How are you?” “Not (too/so) bad, thanks. And you?”
▪ All things considered, she's not a bad singer. [=she's a pretty good singer] ▪ “How are you?” “Not (too/so) bad, thanks. And you?”
too bad 1 — used to show that you are sorry or feel bad about something ▪ It's too bad [=unfortunate] that John and Mary are getting divorced. = It's too bad about John and Mary getting divorced. [=I'm sorry to hear that John and Mary are getting divorced] ▪ “I won't be able to come to the party.” “(That's) Too bad. I was hoping you'd be there.” 2 — used in an ironic way to show that you are not sorry or do not feel bad about something ▪ “But I need your help!” “(That's just) Too bad.”
with bad grace — see 1grace
— bad·ness noun [noncount]
▪ the badness of his behavior ▪ the badness [=severity] of his injuries ▪ There's more goodness than badness in him.
▪ the badness of his behavior ▪ the badness [=severity] of his injuries ▪ There's more goodness than badness in him.
