1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
I'm afraid you performed quite badly in our last rehearsal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terribly
to a great degree
blood donors are badly needed this time of year
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of badly
Why did so many people in states with Democrat-majority governments want to keep the COVID emergency going, want it so badly that all rational arguments offered in support of reopening were ignored or answered with obscenity-laden accusations of grandma-killing?
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Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026
As an indication of how badly things went, consider that during the season the Dolphins fired their general manager (Chris Grier) and demoted their quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa).
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
To be clear, Whitmore was not the reason the team lost to Boston or had been playing badly.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
This episode is, once again, all about dudes behaving badly.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
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That seems to bode poorly for stopping Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ ground game.—
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Then came a reportedly pleasant but poorly timed interaction — one that now rests in Tepper and Panthers lore.—
Adverb
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The data center industry does not have a terribly good answer for this, except that their 83° sun-synchronous orbit is much less crowded than equatorial ones, meaning a lower risk of collisions.—
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Polls, however, suggest the bill is not terribly popular with voters, which has left Republicans saying the White House must do a better job of selling it.—
Adverb
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And it’s been replaced by the grim reality that this team is one bad-looking MRI away from downright irrelevance.—
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Pull leftovers that still need to be eaten to the front, along with any foods that are going to go bad soon.—
Adverb
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The first indicator is oftentimes a lack of water flow from faucets when the weather is extremely cold.—
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Skeeter, 36, serves as the Hornets’ player development coach and is also the primary person who works extremely closely with star guard LaMelo Ball.—
Adverb
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The senior administration official said the transfer would happen quickly because Venezuela’s crude is very heavy, which means it can’t be stored for long.—
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Pipes and sewers can be very dangerous for pets and wildlife and Roto-Rooter, with specialized equipment and personnel, has become a go-to call to save cats, dogs, turtles and more.—
Adverb
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The pork was incredibly tender and juicy, with a bold but balanced mix of spices that didn’t overpower each other.—
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These kind of creative environments are so incredibly inspiring to me.—
Adverb
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With the offices too small for his liking, Vince converted the executive conference room into his personal suite.—
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Her lips shine, too, with an ombré look in tawny brown hues, an effect created by makeup artist Bella Mayven with Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat pencil in Foxy Brown and Big Lip Plumpgasm gloss in Nudegasm Diamonds.—
Adverb
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In the ninth century, a severely disabled woman was buried, her feet bound, in an annex of the church in Elsau, outside Zürich.—
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The time is never right to severely chop off your crape myrtle.—
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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