Is it correct to say 'I feel badly'?

No, in standard English, 'I feel bad' is correct when describing an emotional or physical state. 'I feel badly' suggests a impaired sense of touch.

Can 'bad' ever mean 'good'?

Yes, in informal slang (originating from AAVE), 'bad' can mean 'impressively good' or 'tough', e.g., 'That car is bad!' This is context-dependent.

What's the difference between 'bad' and 'wrong'?

'Bad' refers to low quality, immorality, or undesirability. 'Wrong' refers to being incorrect, mistaken, or not in accordance with fact/ethics. A 'bad answer' is of poor quality; a 'wrong answer' is incorrect.

Is 'worse' the only comparative form of 'bad'?

Yes, the comparative form is 'worse' and the superlative is 'worst'. 'Badder' is non-standard slang.

badb

UK/bæd/US/bæd/

Neutral to informal; universal in everyday use.

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

Of low quality or standard; unpleasant, harmful, or undesirable.

A wide-ranging adjective covering poor quality, wickedness, severity, ill-health, spoilage, guilt, incompetence, and unfavorable conditions. Also used as a noun for negative things or people and an intensifier in slang.

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

Its extreme polysemy makes it one of the most versatile and context-dependent adjectives. It often requires modifiers or context for precise meaning (e.g., 'a bad apple', 'bad news', 'in bad shape').

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

Minimal core differences. Slight variations in slang usage (e.g., 'bad' as a positive intensifier is more strongly associated with AAVE and US pop culture).

Connotations

Identical core connotations. In UK slang, 'bad' as a positive is less prevalent than in US contexts.

Frequency

Equally high frequency in both varieties.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

bad luckbad weatherbad temperbad newsbad breathbad idea

medium

bad dreambad moodbad daybad guybad habit

weak

bad feelingbad lightbad timebad jobbad moment

Grammar

Valency Patterns

be bad at [noun/gerund]be bad for [noun/gerund]feel bad about [noun/gerund]go badturn badlook bad

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

terribleawfuldreadfulatrociousevilwicked

Neutral

poorunpleasantnegativeinferior

Weak

unsatisfactorysubstandardunfavorabledisagreeable

Vocabulary

Antonyms

goodexcellentpositivebeneficialpleasantsuperior

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

“Bad blood”
“A bad egg”
“Take a bad turn”
“In a bad way”
“Bad apple”
“Too bad”
“My bad”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Used in phrases like 'bad debt', 'bad investment', 'bad performance review'.

Academic

Appears in critiques: 'bad data', 'bad methodology', 'bad faith argument'.

Everyday

Ubiquitous for describing anything negative: food, weather, behavior, health, decisions.

Technical

In computing: 'bad sector', 'bad command'; in medicine: 'bad cholesterol (LDL)'.

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

N/A (bad is not a verb)

American English

N/A (bad is not a verb)

adverb

British English

N/A (Non-standard/informal: 'The car was damaged bad in the crash.').

American English

N/A (Non-standard/informal, though common in colloquial speech: 'It hurts real bad.').

adjective

British English

This milk has gone bad.
He made a bad decision.
She's in a bad mood.
The service at the hotel was really bad.

American English

That's a bad idea.
I have a bad feeling about this.
He's got a bad knee from football.
The traffic is bad today.

Examples

By CEFR Level

The weather is bad today.
This food tastes bad.
He is bad at football.
I have a bad cold.

It's a bad idea to go out in this storm.
Smoking is bad for your health.
She felt bad about forgetting his birthday.
The company had a bad year.

The situation took a bad turn overnight.
There's no bad blood between them after the argument.
His reputation was damaged by the bad publicity.
The data was rejected due to a bad sample.

The critic panned the film for its bad faith portrayal of historical events.
Politicising the disaster would be in remarkably bad taste.
The contract was negotiated in bad faith, undermining the entire partnership.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of a BAD apple – one rotten piece can spoil the whole barrel, representing how something bad can have widespread negative effects.

Conceptual Metaphor

MORALITY IS CLEANLINESS / QUALITY IS UP/DOWN (Bad is dirty/down; Good is clean/up).

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

Avoid translating 'bad' directly as 'плохой' for physical states like 'I feel bad' (which means unwell, not evil).
Do not confuse 'bad' with 'badly' (adverb). 'He feels bad' (emotionally/physically) vs. 'He sings badly' (poorly).

Common Mistakes

Using 'bad' as an adverb (e.g., 'He played bad' is informal/non-standard; standard is 'He played badly').
Overusing 'bad' instead of more specific adjectives (e.g., 'spoiled milk', 'harmful effects', 'unskilled player').

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

Leaving your phone in the rain is a idea.

Multiple Choice

In which phrase does 'bad' mean 'spoiled' or 'rotten'?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: No, in standard English, 'I feel bad' is correct when describing an emotional or physical state. 'I feel badly' suggests a impaired sense of touch.
: Yes, in informal slang (originating from AAVE), 'bad' can mean 'impressively good' or 'tough', e.g., 'That car is bad!' This is context-dependent.
: 'Bad' refers to low quality, immorality, or undesirability. 'Wrong' refers to being incorrect, mistaken, or not in accordance with fact/ethics. A 'bad answer' is of poor quality; a 'wrong answer' is incorrect.
: Yes, the comparative form is 'worse' and the superlative is 'worst'. 'Badder' is non-standard slang.