badly

From Middle English badly, baddely, baddeliche, equivalent to bad +‎ -ly.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæd.li/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ædli

badly (comparative worse, superlative worst)

1. In a bad manner.

   Synonym: poorly

   Antonym: well

   Things are going badly for her: she did badly in her exams owing to a badly designed studying schedule.

   Don't think badly of me, give me the benefit of the doubt.

   • 2005, Cathy Hopkins, The Mates, Dates Guide to Life, Love, and Looking Luscious:

     You can eat badly and feel crapola or eat healthily and feel great. The choice is yours...

2. Very much; to a great degree.

   I want it so badly.

   Look at these split ends! You badly need a haircut!

   Everything went badly wrong.

   • 2008, Darl Larsen, Monty Python's Flying Circus, page 276:

     In late 1970, Labour assumed the shadow posts, having lost badly (and unforeseenly) in the summer General Election.

• Badly is sometimes used after feel in its copulative sense where one might expect an adjective, ie, bad. Most prescriptive grammarians prefer "I feel bad" to "I feel badly", but "I feel badly" is widely used.

badly (comparative more badly, superlative most badly)

1. (Northern England) Ill, unwell.

   He's never badly.

• Dalby, Dybal, baldy, blady