Meanings
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1
adj
Of poor quality, or not good in some way.
He got a bad report card this term.
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2
adj
Morally wrong or wicked.
In the story, the bad king treated his people cruelly.
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3
adj
Not working properly; faulty.
We couldn't hear each other because of the bad phone connection.
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4
adj
No longer fresh or safe to eat.
Throw out the milk if it has gone bad.
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5
adj
Causing pain or feeling unwell.
She has a bad back and can't lift heavy things.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
Etymology
From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”). Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun *badą, whence…
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