2
general::
adj. not good; serious VERBS be, look, sound | become, get The weather got very bad later in the day. ADV. extremely, really, very | enough Things are bad enough without our own guns shelling us. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather John's in a pretty bad mood this morning. PREP. at He's really bad at maths. | for Smoking is very bad for you. not safe to eat VERBS be, look, smell, taste The sausages tasted bad. | go, turn This meat has gone bad. guilty/sorry VERBS feel ADV. really, very | enough I feel bad enough without you constantly telling me how it was all my fault! | fairly, pretty, quite, rather PREP. about She felt pretty bad about leaving him.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
bad
not good:
• a bad idea • His behaviour is getting worse.
poor
not as good as it could be or should be:
• A poor diet can lead to ill health. • his poor performance at school
not very good
not good – often used instead of saying directly that something was ‘bad’, especially when you were disappointed by it:
• The film wasn’t very good.
disappointing
not as good as you hoped or expected:
• Her exam results were disappointing. • a disappointing start to the campaign
negative
bad – used when talking about the bad result or effect of something:
• All the publicity had a negative impact on sales. • the negative effects of climate change
undesirable
formal bad and not wanted:
• The policy had some undesirable consequences. • drug abuse and other undesirable behaviour
unfavourable
formal unfavourable conditions are not good for doing something:
• The boat race was cancelled because of unfavourable weather.
very bad
awful/terrible/dreadful
especially British English very bad:
• The movie was awful. • Her house is in a terrible state. • a dreadful crime
horrible
very bad, especially in a way that shocks or upsets you:
• He describes prison as ‘a horrible place’. • It was a horrible exprerience.
disgusting
smelling or tasting very bad:
• The food was disgusting. • The fish smelled disgusting.
lousy
informal very bad or disappointing:
• The weather has been lousy all week. • I’m fed up with this lousy job.
ghastly
British English informal very bad:
• I’ve had a ghastly day. • a ghastly mistake
severe
severe problems, injuries, illnesses etc are very bad and serious:
• The country faces severe economic problems. • severe delays • He suffered severe head injuries in a car crash.
atrocious/appalling/horrendous
extremely bad in a way that is shocking:
• Her behaviour has been absolutely atrocious. • The country has an appalling human rights record.
abysmal
very bad and of a very low standard:
• The team’s performance was abysmal. • the abysmal conditions in some prisons
Longman-Thesaurus
4
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with BAD, Also see COME TO AN END (BAD END); FEEL BAD; FROM BAD TO WORSE; GET OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT (TO A BAD START); GIVE A BAD NAME; GIVE BAD MARKS TO; GO BAD; IN A BAD MOOD; IN A BAD WAY; IN BAD FAITH; IN BAD WITH SOMEONE; IN SOMEONE'S BAD GRACES; LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN ONE'S MOUTH; MAKE THE BEST OF (A BAD BARGAIN); NOT A BAD SORT; NOT BAD; POOR (BAD) TASTE; RUN OF (BAD) LUCK; TOO BAD; TURN UP (LIKE A BAD PENNY); WITH BAD GRACE.
American Heritage Idioms