badly
to a severe or serious degree
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,571 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 6,551 times across 175,112 chapters — 0.003% of every word in the library.
What it means
adverb
- to a severe or serious degree also: severely, gravely, seriously fingers so badly frozen they had to be amputatedbadly injured
- (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well also: ill, poorly he was ill preparedit ill befits a man to betray old friends
- evilly or wickedly treated his parents badlyto steal is to act badly
- in a disobedient or naughty way also: mischievously, naughtily he behaved badly in schoolhe mischievously looked for a chance to embarrass his sister
- with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly') also: bad the injury hurt badlythe buildings were badly shaken
- very much; strongly also: bad I wanted it badly enough to work hard for itthe cables had sagged badly
badly in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
Books are well written, or badly written.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
-
An operation in which he became interested early in 1869 turned out badly.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
-
Slaves are valuable property, and if they are overworked or badly cared for they decrease in value.
With Lee in Virginia · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
-
Such a headlong outburst augured badly, for I well knew his ungovernable temper and his unbridled passion.
The Satyricon — Volume 01: Introduction · 20-66 Petronius Arbiter · Chapter 1
-
He knocked his shins badly on a quite visible railing and it was out of the question to say a single word.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1