badly
badly
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "badly" is /ˈbædli/.
bad-: /bæd/
/b/ - voiced bilabial plosive
/æ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
-ly: /li/
/l/ - voiced alveolar lateral approximant
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel
Word Form Variations
"Badly" is an adverb. Therefore, it does not have singular, plural, or different tenses in the same way nouns or verbs do. Its variations are primarily in its comparative and superlative forms:
Comparative: worse
Superlative: worst
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adverb
Definition 1: In a poor, unsatisfactory, or inferior manner; with incompetence or lack of skill.
Synonyms: poorly, inadequately, incompetently, shoddily, deficiently
Antonyms: well, competently, skillfully, admirably, effectively
Definition 2: To a severe or serious degree; intensely or greatly.
Synonyms: severely, greatly, seriously, intensely, desperately, extremely
Antonyms: slightly, mildly, moderately, a little
Definition 3: With regret or a sense of sorrow; unfavorably or unfortunately.
Synonyms: regretfully, unfortunately, sadly, grievously
Antonyms: fortunately, happily, thankfully
Examples of Use
Newspaper: "The team performed so badly in the first half that a comeback seemed impossible." (ESPN)
Online Publication: "The software update, initially hailed as a breakthrough, performed badly under real-world stress tests." (TechCrunch)
Book (Fiction): "He wanted so badly to believe her, but her eyes betrayed the truth." (From a review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, published in The Guardian)
Movie Dialogue: "I need this job so badly." (From the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006)
Song Lyric: "Oh, baby, I need you so badly." (From the song "Badly" by the band Filter, 1999)
General Public Discourse: "After missing so much school due to illness, I'm doing badly in math." (Common student complaint, ongoing)
Entertainment Medium (TV Show): "Things went badly for the detective when his key witness disappeared." (From a synopsis of an episode of Line of Duty, BBC)
Online Forum/Social Media: "My internet connection is so badly that I can barely stream videos." (Reddit thread)
10 Quotes Using Badly
"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of." (Confucius)
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." (Oscar Wilde)
"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act." (Truman Capote)
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." (G.K. Chesterton)
"When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you... Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion, and you know it can happen to you." (Ernest Hemingway)
"We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form." (William Ralph Inge)
"I need this job so badly." (Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness)
"It is better to die well than to live badly." (Jan Hus)
"People do not deserve to have good writing, they are so pleased with badly." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake." (Kurt Vonnegut)
Etymology
The word "badly" comes from joining the adjective "bad" with the common English ending "-ly" (which turns adjectives into adverbs, like "quick" becoming "quickly").
Its first known uses appeared in the Middle English period, around the early 1300s. Back then, "badly" had a few meanings. One of the earliest was "unluckily" or "unfortunately." Soon after, in the late 1300s, it also took on the meaning of "wickedly," "evilly," or "poorly/inadequately."
So, you could say something "turned out badly" meaning it was unlucky, or someone "behaved badly" meaning they acted in a wicked way, or a task was done "badly" meaning it was done poorly. Over time, other senses, like "very much" (as in "want something badly"), also developed.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Badly
Need something badly: To have a strong desire or urgent requirement for something.
Want something badly: Similar to "need something badly," indicating a strong desire.
To go badly: To turn out unfavorably or disastrously.
To fare badly: To perform poorly or experience an unfavorable outcome.
To take something badly: To react to news or an event with a lot of sadness, disappointment, or anger.
To speak badly of someone: To say negative or critical things about a person.
To start off on the wrong foot: (Uses a synonym, "wrong," for a similar effect of something going poorly from the beginning) To begin a relationship or endeavor poorly.
To get off on the wrong foot: (Similar to the above) To make a poor initial impression or start an interaction poorly.
To leave a bad taste in one's mouth: (Uses a synonym, "bad," for a negative experience) To have an unpleasant lingering impression from an event.
To be in a bad way: (Uses a synonym, "bad," to describe a poor condition) To be in a serious or difficult situation, often health-wise.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of badly from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
