"bad" Definition

Definitions for the word "bad" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. imp.
Bade.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
2. superl.
Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; -- the opposite of good; as, a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad health; bad crop; bad news.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
3. adj.
(worse, worst) 1 inadequate, defective (bad work, light). 2 unpleasant (bad weather). 3 harmful (is bad for you). 4 (of food) decayed. 5 colloq. Ill, injured (feeling bad today; a bad leg). 6 colloq. Regretful, guilty (feels bad about it). 7 serious, severe (a bad headache, mistake). 8 a morally unacceptable (bad man; bad language). B naughty. 9 not valid (a bad cheque). 10 (badder, baddest) esp. Us slang excellent. n. Ill fortune; ruin. adv. Us colloq. Badly. not (or not so) bad colloq. Fairly good. Too bad colloq. Regrettable. [old english]
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884
4. slang
“to go to the bad,” to deteriorate in character, to be ruined. _Virgil_ has an almost similar phrase, _in pejus ruere_, which means, by the way, to go to the worse.
Source: The Slang Dictionary, 1864
5. slang
hard, difficult. Word in use among sporting men who say, “He will be BAD to beat,” when they mean that the man or horse to whom they refer will about win.
Source: The Slang Dictionary, 1864

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This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "bad" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "bad" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

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