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
The attack left parts of the residence badly burned, though no one was injured.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
There was Cole Anthony, who was playing so badly earlier this season that he was removed from the rotation, hitting big shot after big shot against the Hawks.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2025
Additionally, 48 percent said the tariffs were the right idea but they had been executed badly.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Viv reacts badly to how the doctor (Sharon Omi) is discussing Greg’s illness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
There was Cole Anthony, who was playing so badly earlier this season that he was removed from the rotation, hitting big shot after big shot against the Hawks.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2025
Additionally, 48 percent said the tariffs were the right idea but they had been executed badly.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Viv reacts badly to how the doctor (Sharon Omi) is discussing Greg’s illness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 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 22 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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