badly

adverb

bad·​ly ˈbad-lē How to pronounce badly (audio)
Synonyms of badlynext
1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: to a great or intense degree
want something badly
see also:
badly off for not badly think badly of

Synonyms of badly

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Examples of badly in a Sentence

He played badly but I played even worse. The failure reflects badly on the administration. She wanted the job badly. I'm badly in need of a vacation. His fingers were badly frozen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Another was beaten badly enough to necessitate a long hospital stay and had a gun stuck in his mouth. — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 The extraordinary female characters at the heart of the show will be pushed to extremes, behave deliciously badly and have a whole lot of fun along the way. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026 But few could have anticipated just how badly the film would bomb. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026 Missouri beat Florida, which beat Ole Miss, which beat LSU … but Missouri lost to Mississippi State, which lost badly at home to Alabama on Saturday. — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for badly

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of badly was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing badly

Rhymes for badly

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Browse Nearby Words

bad luck
badly
badly off
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Cite this Entry

“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

badly

adverb
bad·​ly ˈbad-lē How to pronounce badly (audio)
worse
ˈwərs
 ; worst
ˈwərst
1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: very much
wanted the jeans badly
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