Unfortunately, you must have something bad to have something good. Below is a handy list of synonyms for bad.
Now you can describe bad weather, bad luck, or bad service at a restaurant.
Since bad has several meanings, the list is broken down by meanings.
Synonyms for Bad: poor standard or low quality
Examples
- The pizza from the new Italian restaurant tastes bad.
- Fred did a bad job of communicating his expectations to his friends and caused many misunderstandings.
1. Terrible
Something that is terrible is really bad and very unwelcome. Anything that is negative can be described as terrible.
Examples
- Anthony, the report you showed last month was terrible, please make sure this month’s report is a massive improvement!
- When you prepare for something that you are nervous or scared about try to think of the most terrible possibility. Why? Because then, whatever happens, will not seem as bad.
- Polly feels terrible that she forgot to pick you up at the airport.
2. Poor
Poor has two meanings, the most common of which means having no money. However, poor can also mean something that is bad or of low quality.
Examples
- The boss of the company did a poor job outlining what the other employees needed to do. This led to the quick downfall of the product.
- Try to do the best you can to spread the message; if you do a poor job, it will impact the whole country.
- The trusted newspaper source lost some of its prestige when it did a poor job of reporting the political issue.
3. Unacceptable
Something that is unacceptable is the opposite of acceptable. It is worse than simply being bad, because being unacceptable means that something is so bad that it cannot be accepted.
Examples
- It is okay if you bring the project report a day later than the deadline, but anything later than that is completely unacceptable.
- I cannot believe that you thought this was okay. It is unacceptable!
4. Inadequate
Similar to unacceptable, something that is inadequate is not adequate or does not fulfill the expectations for it.
The difference comes from the fact that something inadequate is not good enough for its purpose.
Examples
- Terry’s bank account has inadequate funds to purchase the television, so his credit card was denied.
- Your actions are inadequate if you want to advance in the company and get promoted to management jobs; you need to take more initiative.
5. Defective
If you have a defective item, you have an item that has a flaw or is broken in some way. Defective almost always refers to things and objects, rarely to actions or feelings. The noun form of the word is a defect.
Examples
- The microwave has a defective part so it will constantly break down.
- If you try to ride a bike with a defective wheel, you will not be able to go very far.
- Harry always looks for products with defective packaging or other parts. Because he likes to take them to the customer service desk and ask for a discount.
6. Unfortunate
Something unfortunate is something that is unlucky or happens to be bad by chance. It refers to situations, circumstances, and events.
Examples
- The unfortunate situation was caused by Tom’s habit of leaving things he needs to do until the last minute.
- The fact that the road was under construction the day we needed to drive that route was very unfortunate.
7. Inappropriate
An inappropriate thing is something that is not fit for the situation. Some things are appropriate for some situations but bad for other situations such as using humor to make fun of someone.
Examples
- Sally’s inappropriate behavior landed her without a job.
- Even though it is sometimes necessary, it is inappropriate to constantly use your phone when you are meeting with other people.
- Dan often gets away with using inappropriate humor because the boss really likes him.
Synonyms for Bad: harmful, unwelcome, or unpleasant
- The situation looked bad after Victor took that big risk.
- Mark’s cat was in bad condition after he fell down the stairs.
8. Unpleasant
Something unpleasant is not fun to be around. This can refer to something that can be sensed, such as a smell, something physical, or something metaphorical.
Examples
- Max is an unpleasant person to be around because he constantly complains about anything that he can think of.
- I do not like to use the bathrooms at gas stations because they have an unpleasant smell.
- Jason was uncomfortable at work the whole day because he had an unpleasant stomachache and headache from his new medication.
9. Serious
While serious can refer to something that is sincere and earnest, it also means something that is demanding of attention and consideration.
This is usually because the situation is dangerous, uncertain, challenging, or very important. As a synonym for bad, serious often refers to a situation or circumstance.
Examples
- Sam’s grandfather fell down a few steps of stairs and was in serious condition when he was sent to the hospital. But he is recovering quickly now.
- She thought that she would not have to take action after being threatened. But the police told her that it was more serious than she thought.
10. Harmful
Something that can cause harm, injury, or hurt is harmful. Many times harmful things are objects, actions, thoughts, feelings.
Examples
- Rebecca tried not to show it, but the things that bullies said to her were really harmful.
- If an employee accidentally shares company secrets to a rival company, this would be extremely harmful to the company.
- When a couple is expecting a child for the first time, they try to remove anything that could be harmful to the baby.
11. Critical
Something that is critical can be extremely important or can be disparaging or negative. When describing a situation or a problem, critical means something that is very dangerous and is very close to a crisis or disaster.
Examples
- Louis was sent to the hospital in critical condition after he had a car accident.
- The news reporter was called into the office during the middle of the night to cover a critical situation that was developing overseas.
- The company was in critical condition after the media uncovered a scandal and the company’s stock prices had fallen to half its original price.
12. Severe
A severe thing is a thing that is harsh and demanding, whether it be of attention, time, money, or other resources.
Examples
- The strong hurricane caused severe damage to the entire coast.
- Valerie’s debt problems became more and more severe because she refused to admit that she owed money.
13. Deleterious
Deleterious things are those that cause harm or damage. You can remember the word by thinking of delete – which is the root of deleterious. The word typically describes the effect of something.
Examples
- Reading novels is not deleterious for children; in fact, it can help them relieve stress and stimulate their creativity.
- The deleterious effect of smoking on one’s health overall has been well documented in medical research for the past few decades.
14. Grievous
Something that is grievous is awful, terrible, and severe. It is one of the strongest words that you can use to describe something bad. It describes a mistake that is unforgivable.
Examples
- Blaine’s grievous mistake cost him thousands of dollars and five years of hard work.
- The grievous wound in Carrie’s side caused her immense pain until she was able to finally have surgery.
Synonyms for Bad: unacceptable
You can think of these words as ones that you can use to describe the villains or bad characters in stories.
Examples
- The bad guys in movies are always caught in the end.
- If you do bad things, karma will catch up to you and bad things will start happening to you.
15. Immoral
An immoral person or action is one that breaks the principles of morality or the commonly accepted beliefs of right and wrong. If a person in general or a specific action is immoral, it is wrong according to society.
Examples
- The actions of the Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s were so immoral that the term Nazi has become synonymous with all evil.
- Sometimes, the line between what is moral and what is immoral is not clear.
- The jury decided that Xavier’s actions were not immoral; instead, they determined that his actions were expected under the circumstances.
Skype English Lesson with a native AMERICAN or BRITISH teacher ››
16. Evil
If someone or something is profoundly, deeply, and decidedly immoral, they are evil. While it can describe anything that fits this definition, many evil things have a supernatural force influencing the action.
Examples
- The evil villain of the movie really makes the viewers hate him.
- It is so evil of the professor to assign so much homework over the winter break!
- Theodore was able to fool most people by appearing sociable and happy when he met them, but in reality, he was hiding his evil.
17. Wicked
Something or someone that is both immoral and evil is wicked. There is also a famous musical on Broadway named Wicked, for the characters in the story.
Examples
- The wicked stepmother in the story was actually just someone who was severely misunderstood.
- Companies sometimes do wicked things not everyone can understand.
18. Nefarious
Something that is nefarious, typically an action or organization, is very evil. Sometimes, being nefarious means that it is secretive.
Examples
- The nefarious organization was responsible for thousands of dollars in illegal smuggling and drug sales.
- The police have a hard time tracking down all the nefarious activities of the criminal organization. Because they are so secretive and good at dodging the authorities.
- Thank goodness that the Interpol agents were able to uncover the nefarious plot of the terrorists before they could act.
19. Dirty
While dirty is often used to mean something that is physically unclean, it also refers to things or people that are metaphorically unclean. In other words, people who are involved in illegal activities.
It is often used to describe someone who you think should be on the right side of the law (for example, a police officer). They use their position of power for their own benefits.
Examples
- The dirty cop forced the criminal organization to pay him so that he could keep helping them.
- The drug dealer was trying to convince the DEA agent to let him go.
20. Corrupt
Someone or an action that is corrupt is dirty. Usually, the person abuses a position of power by forcing someone else to give them money or gifts in exchange for certain benefits.
Being corrupt is illegal. Corrupt often refers to various people in a different kinds of power, especially business executives or politicians.
Examples
- The corrupt politician was never arrested because he was able to hide his involvement very well.
- The corrupt CEO of the company was arrested stealing millions of dollars from the company by forcing the accountants to change the records.
21. Dishonest
In the same vein as corrupt and dirty, someone who is dishonest is someone who does not tell the truth about something.
However, the term is much “lighter” in meaning. If someone is dishonest, it means that the person does not tell the truth.
Examples
- The teacher was dishonest when she said that all her previous students had passed the test. She did it to give her current students more confidence.
- The dishonest politician made all of his voters angry when he got elected and started doing the exact opposite of everything he promised.
- The boss of the department refused to turn over the company’s records. He wanted to hide some of the dishonest deals the company had made.
Synonyms for Bad: a feeling of regret or guilt
Examples
- Sandra feels bad for treating Mary like a child even though she is already in college.
22. Guilty
To feel guilty means to feel responsible for something that has gone wrong, regardless of whether or not you are actually responsible.
Examples
- Fiona felt guilty for helping her coworkers make her boss look bad, but she was really mad at her boss at the time.
- Don’t feel guilty about turning down the people that you are not interested in! They will be more thankful for rejection than if you led them on.
- If you feel guilty, that could be because you know that you are doing something wrong.
23. Remorseful
To feel remorseful is one step after feeling guilty. Once you get to the feeling of remorse, you feel sorry for doing what you did and want to ask for forgiveness.
Examples
- Even though he was clearly guilty, he got a shorter sentence because he was remorseful. 5 years instead of 10.
- If you don’t feel remorseful after doing something wrong, some people will think that there is something wrong with you.
- It is very interesting to wonder whether people who do terrible things feel remorseful over their actions.
24. Regretful
Regretful is a very close synonym to remorseful. It means feeling sad or sorrow towards something that has happened.
Examples
- Some people feel embarrassed to be regretful, so they pretend that they never wanted that thing to begin with.
- I feel regretful that I was not able to finish my studies, even though I quit them to pursue something better.
25. Ashamed
To be ashamed means to feel embarrassment, humiliation, guilt, and other similar feelings.
Examples
- “I am ashamed to be your sister!” Nancy jokingly yelled at her sister after she started dancing to music in public.
- You should not feel ashamed to have feelings, because that it what sets human beings apart from animals.
- Feeling ashamed is often an unproductive feeling, so it is best to avoid it as much as possible.
26. Contrite
Contrite also means to feel guilty about something, or remorse and regret.
Examples
- His contrite attitude helped his brother forgive him for his actions.
- The contrite feeling that Vanna felt after lying to her parents made her never want to lie again.
27. Sorry
To feel sorry about something means to feel distressed or sadness at something. Depending on the context, it can also mean feeling regret or remorse, but without the guilt.
Examples
- I am sorry to hear that you had to quit your job.
- Jessica is sorry that she ate your cookies without asking you, but she does not regret eating them.
- John was sorry that he had to lie to his sister about what he was doing.
28. Responsible
To feel responsible for something means to feel that you are the cause of that thing. In this context, it usually has a negative meaning, so you feel that you are responsible for something bad that has happened.
Examples
- I feel responsible for causing us to miss the train, so I will buy new tickets for the next available train.
- When you feel responsible for something bad that has happened then you are scared to take risks on anything else.
https://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/bad-or-badly/
