BADNESS Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

badness

noun

Definition of badness

as in sinfulness

the state or quality of being utterly evil the villain's complete badness made him a good foil for the unfailingly virtuous hero

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of badness Leaping around in time, Gilroy draws us into Alex’s world with an effervescent wink at the badness of his behavior. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026 On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder. — Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026 The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026 As if to prove that it can’t be exceeded in badness, Playdate has both. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for badness

Noun

But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

Definition of sinfulness

Noun

The Monitor's View This year’s award went to a South African jurist who not only reshaped international law but also says her inspiration came from survivors of atrocities who never gave up their dignity.

— the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Many of the Russian journalists working in Ukraine at the start of the war, where atrocities wage on, now have criminal cases against them.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of atrocity

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bad-mouths

badness

baffle

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“Badness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badness. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of badness

noun

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