1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: to a great or intense degree
want something badly
Phrases
badly off for
British
: strongly in need of (something or someone)
It may seem pie in the sky in the current financial climate, but few could argue that for a city of its size and prestige, Edinburgh is badly off for large-scale sports facilities.—
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
: fairly or acceptably well
The economy is doing not badly and looks even better than it really is.—Tom Teepen
Tom Teepen
: to have an unfavorable or low opinion of (someone or something)
"Will you think badly of me if I disagree?"
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
Consider gold, an investment that usually does well when stocks and bonds do badly.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
The fire badly damaged the inside of the large room that is often used for entertaining crowds and art displays.
—Time, 14 Apr. 2025
Things are about to go very badly.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
The Dolphins badly need to upgrade the offensive line, and Tyler Booker does just that.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
The fire badly damaged the inside of the large room that is often used for entertaining crowds and art displays.
—Time, 14 Apr. 2025
Things are about to go very badly.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
The Dolphins badly need to upgrade the offensive line, and Tyler Booker does just that.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
badly
adverb
bad·ly
ˈbad-lē 
worse
ˈwərs
; worst
ˈwərst
1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: very much
wanted the jeans badly
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