bad

See also: Bad, bád, båd, bað, and բադ

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

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), from bædan (“to defile”), from Proto-Germanic *bad- (compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”)). Alternatively, 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 *bada- (Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, s. v. *badōjan-).

Adjective

bad (comparative worse, superlative worst)

  1. Not good; unfavorable; negative.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 10, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.
    You have bad credit.
  2. Not suitable or fitting.
    Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?
  3. Seemingly non-appropriate, in manners, etc.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      “[…] if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]”
    It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
  4. Unhealthy.
    Lard is bad for you. Smoking is bad for you, too. Grapes are bad for dogs but not for humans.
  5. Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
    Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved.
  6. Evil; wicked.
    Be careful. There are bad people in the world.
  7. Faulty; not functional.
    I had a bad headlight.
  8. (of food) Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
    These apples have gone bad.
  9. (of breath) Malodorous, foul.
    Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone.
  10. (informal) Bold and daring.
  11. (hip-hop slang) good, superlative
    • 1986, Run-D.M.C., "Peter Piper" (written by Darryl McDaniels and Joseph Simmons)
      "He's the big bad wolf in your neighborhood / not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good"
  12. (of a need or want) Severe, urgent.
    He is in bad need of a haircut.
Usage notes

The comparative badder and superlative baddest are nonstandard.

Synonyms
  • See also Thesaurus:bad
Antonyms
See also
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Adverb

bad (comparative worse, superlative worst)

  1. (now colloquial) Badly.
    I didn't do too bad in the last exam.
Translations

Noun

bad (uncountable)

  1. (slang) Error, mistake.
    Sorry, my bad!
    • 1993, Mitch Albom, Fab five: basketball, trash talk, the American dream‎, page days:
      "My bad, My bad!” Juwan yelled, scowling
    • 2003, Zane, Skyscraper, page 7:
      “Chico, you're late again.” I turned around and stared him in his beady eyes. “I missed my bus. My bad, Donald.” “Your bad? Your bad? What kind of English is that?
    • 2008, Camika Spencer, Cubicles, page 68:
      Teresa broke out in laughter. “Dang, I sound like I'm talking to my man.” “I tried your cell phone, but you didn't answer.” “I left it at home, Friday. My bad.” “Yeah, your bad.” I laughed. “Really, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.
  1. (countable, uncountable, economics) An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good.
    • 2011, Thompson, Henry, International Economics: Global Markets and Competition, 3rd edition, World Scientific, page 97:
      Imports are an economic good but exports an economic bad. Exports must be produced but are enjoyed by foreign consumers.
    • 2011, William J. Boyes, Michael Melvin, Economics, 9th edition, Cengage Learning, page 4:
      An economic bad is anything that you would pay to get rid of. It is not so hard to think of examples of bads: pollution, garbage, and disease fit the description.
Translations

Etymology 2

Probably identical to bad, etymology 1, above, especially in the sense "bold, daring".

Adjective

bad (comparative badder, superlative baddest)

  1. (Should we move(+) this sense?) (slang) Fantastic.
    You is [sic] bad, man!

Etymology 3

From Middle English bad, from Old English bæd, first and third-person singular indicative past tense of biddan (“to ask”).

Verb

bad

  1. (archaic) Alternative past tense of bid. See bade.

Etymology 4

Unknown

Verb

bad (third-person singular simple present bads, present participle badding, simple past and past participle badded)

  1. (Britain, dialect, transitive) To shell (a walnut).
    • 1876, The Gloucester Journal, Oct. 7, 1876, reported in William John Thomas, Doran (John), Henry Frederick Turle, Joseph Knight, Vernon Horace Rendall, Florence Hayllar, Notes and Queries, page 346
      A curious specimen of Gloucestershire dialect c»me out in an assault case heard by the Gloucester court magistrates on Saturday. One of the witnesses, speaking of what a girl was doing at the time the assault took place, said she was ' badding ' walnuts in a pigstye. The word is peculiarly provincial : to ' bad ' walnuts is to strip away the husk. The walnut, too, is often called » 'bannut,' and hence the old Gloucestershire phrase, ' Come an' bad the bannuts.'

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [bɑt]

Noun

bad (plural [please provide])

  1. bath

References

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bað.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bad/, [bað]
  • Rhymes: -ad

Noun

bad n (singular definite badet, plural indefinite bade)

  1. bath, shower, swim
  2. bathroom
Inflection

Etymology 2

See bede (“to pray, request”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /baːd/, [bæːˀð]

Verb

bad

  1. past tense of bede

Etymology 3

See bade (“to bathe, bath”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /baːd/, [bæðˀ]

Verb

bad

  1. imperative of bade

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɑt
  • IPA(key): /bɑt/
  • audio(file)

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *bath, from Proto-Germanic *baþą.

Noun

bad n (plural baden, diminutive badje n)

  1. bath
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

bad

  1. singular past indicative of bidden

Gothic

Romanization

bad

  1. Romanization of 𐌱𐌰𐌳

Indonesian

Noun

bad (archaic)

  1. wind

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bað, from Proto-Germanic *baþą (“bath”).

Noun

bad n (definite singular badet, indefinite plural bad, definite plural bada or badene)

  1. a bath
    et varmt bad - a hot bath
  2. a bathroom (see also baderom)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

  • (of be) ba

Verb

bad

  1. imperative of bade
  2. simple past of be
  3. simple past of bede

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bað.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɑːd/

Noun

bad n (definite singular badet, indefinite plural bad, definite plural bada)

  1. a bath
    eit varmt bad - a hot bath
  2. a bathroom

Synonyms

Derived terms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɑː/

Verb

bad

  1. past tense of be

References

Old English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɑːd/

Verb

bād

  1. first-person singular preterite of bīdan
  2. third-person singular preterite of bīdan

Old Irish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bað/

Verb

bad

  1. inflection of is:
    1. third-person singular past subjunctive
    2. third-person singular and second-person plural imperative

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
RadicalLenitionNasalization
bad bad
pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/		 mbad
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Polish

Etymology

From German Bad.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bat/

Noun

bad m inan

  1. (obsolete) health resort, bath

Declension

Synonyms

Further reading

  • bad in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

bad m (genitive singular baid, plural badan)

  1. place, spot
  2. tuft, bunch
  3. flock, group
  4. thicket, clump (of trees)

Synonyms

Derived terms

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish badh, from Old Norse bað, from Proto-Germanic *baþą, from the zero-grade of Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁-.

Pronunciation

  • audio(file)

Noun

bad n

  1. a bath, the act of bathing
  2. a bath, a place for bathing (badplats, badhus)

Declension

Declension of bad 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative bad badet bad baden
Genitive bads badets bads badens
  • bada
  • havsbad
  • kallbad
  • karbad
  • varmbad
  • vinterbad
  • ångbad

Verb

bad

  1. past tense of be.
  2. past tense of bedja.

References

Volapük

Noun

bad (plural bads)

  1. evil, badness

Declension

See also

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