badly

[ bad-lee ]

adverb

, worse, worst.

1. in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way:

   The car runs badly.

2. in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner:

   a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.

3. unfavorably:

   His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.

4. in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.
5. in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way:

   He treats his parents badly.

6. very much; to a great extent or degree:

   a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.

7. severely; direly:

   to be injured badly.

8. with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display:

   She took the news of her mother's death badly.

adjective

1. in ill health; sick:

   He felt badly.

2. sorry; regretful:

   I feel badly about your reaction to my remark.

3. dejected; downcast.

badly

/ ˈbædlɪ /

adverb

1. poorly; defectively; inadequately

   the chair is badly made

2. unfavourably; unsuccessfully; unfortunately

   our scheme worked out badly

3. severely; gravely

   he was badly hurt

4. incorrectly or inaccurately

   to speak German badly

5. improperly; naughtily; wickedly

   to behave badly

6. without humanity; cruelly

   to treat someone badly

7. very much (esp in the phrases need badly , badly in need of , want badly )
8. regretfully

   he felt badly about it

9. badly off
   poor; impoverished

adjective

1. dialect.
   postpositive ill; poorly

Usage Note

In the sense “very much,” badly is fully standard: He needs help badly. bad ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of badly¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English baddeli, baddeliche, badli(che) “wickedly, evilly, poorly”; bad ¹, -ly

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. badly off. bad ¹( def 41 ).

Example Sentences

"She saw these and demanded to know what happened and then it came out that her son had been badly beaten in the nude, and she came to me for advice," Coltart, now mayor of Bulawayo, told the BBC.

From BBC

The 1982 report, prepared by Anglican clergyman Mark Ruston, about the canings said "the scale and severity of the practice was horrific", with accounts of boys beaten so badly they bled, with one describing how he needed to wear nappies until his wounds scabbed over.

From BBC

“The vast majority of officers are corrupted as a result of conditioning, manipulation, coercion and blackmail, while being badly trained, poorly led and inadequately supervised,” he adds.

From BBC

Finally, one thing that is being missed badly, in my opinion, is that more Americans identify as independents than they do as Republicans or Democrats.

From Salon

In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan badly damaged the world's view of nuclear power, and the price for the heavy metal - a critical component for nuclear fuel - cratered.

From BBC

Related Words

• deeply
• greatly
• hard
• painfully
• seriously
• severely