| Learning / English Dictionary |
BADLY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
('ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
Example:
an ill-conceived plan
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Domain usage:
combining form (a bound form used only in compounds)
Sense 2
Meaning:
With unusual distress or resentment or regret or emotional display
Example:
conducted himself very badly at the time of the earthquake
Classified under:
Antonym:
well (without unusual distress or resentment; with good humor)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Unfavorably or with disapproval
Example:
thought badly of him for his lack of concern
Synonyms:
badly; ill
Classified under:
Adverbs
Pertainym:
bad (having undesirable or negative qualities)
Sense 4
Meaning:
In a disadvantageous way; to someone's disadvantage
Example:
angry that the case was settled disadvantageously for them
Synonyms:
badly; disadvantageously
Classified under:
Adverbs
Antonym:
well (in a manner affording benefit or advantage)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Without skill or in a displeasing manner
Example:
I think he paints very badly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Antonym:
well (with skill or in a pleasing manner)
Sense 6
Meaning:
To a severe or serious degree
Example:
was seriously ill
Synonyms:
badly; gravely; seriously; severely
Classified under:
Adverbs
Sense 7
Meaning:
Very much; strongly
Example:
he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it
Synonyms:
bad; badly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Sense 8
Meaning:
With great intensity ('bad' is a nonstandard variant for 'badly')
Example:
we need water bad
Synonyms:
bad; badly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Pertainym:
bad (very intense)
Sense 9
Meaning:
In a disobedient or naughty way
Example:
behaved naughtily when they had guests and was sent to his room
Synonyms:
badly; mischievously; naughtily
Classified under:
Adverbs
Sense 10
Meaning:
Evilly or wickedly
Example:
to steal is to act badly
Classified under:
Adverbs
Pertainym:
bad (characterized by wickedness or immorality)
Context examples:
"If you're eating really badly then probiotics might be helpful. But if you're already eating healthily, they may not be that beneficial," says Professor Margaret Morris, Head of Pharmacology at UNSW.
(Probiotics May Not Always Be A Silver Bullet for Better Health, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
However, if both the population and price of walrus started to tumble, it must have badly undermined the resilience of the settlements, says co-author Dr Bastiaan Star of the University of Oslo.
(Over-hunting walruses contributed to the collapse of Norse Greenland, University of Cambridge)
Your boy, Arthur, went to bed after his interview with you but he slept badly on account of his uneasiness about his club debts.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The burn shows badly, and I can't take any out.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Perhaps you would have the kindness to spare me half an hour, for there are one or two things that I badly want to say to you.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“I would go for nothing, if I could,” I said, “but I want the money badly.”
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
But the squirrel was as badly scared.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
Louis tells me that the gossip of the sailors finds its way aft, and that two of the telltales have been badly beaten by their mates.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
I burst into tears—I am afraid, my dear, you will think this a very sloppy letter in more ways than one—and I really felt very badly.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
I am sorry I can't give you better news of them, Miss: they are very badly at present—in great trouble.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
