Bad Isn’t Always Bad

Can you imagine The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with any other title?

I can’t.

However, overuse of bad will nettle readers.

Multiple Connotations Exacerbate Repetition

Bad could refer to any of the following:

1. the opposite of good
2. a description for a wicked character
3. inferior or malfunctioning equipment
4. shoddy living conditions
5. something that is wrong, inaccurate, or faulty
6. anything that causes sickness, harm, or injury

With so many shades of meaning, it’s no wonder bad appears so often in creative writing.

Nothing Speaks Louder Than Examples

Compare the following groups of sentences and decide which of each is stronger.

Group 1

“You’re a bad boy,” Sharon said.

“You’re a naughty boy,” Sharon said.

Experts admonish parents not to demean children but instead to refer to their actions as bad. However, either of the preceding statements might be made by a woman flirting with a man.

It’s all about context.

Back to the child, consider writing something like the following instead:

“Why did you eat all the cookies?” Sharon propped her hands on her hips. “I told you we were having supper in fifteen minutes.”

Now readers see a specific reason for Sharon’s frustration.

Group 2

Every single apple on the tree was bad.

Every single apple on the tree was rotten.

Do I need to comment? Rotten is more appropriate. Note the strikeouts of single. In these examples, the word is redundant.

Let’s provide a reason for the rotten apples:

An unexpected hailstorm pelted the apple orchard, creating abrasions that festered into rotting wounds.

Now readers envision cause followed by consequence.

Group 3

A bad battery sent the drone into a catastrophic spin.

A malfunctioning battery sent the drone into a catastrophic spin.

Although malfunctioning works as a direct replacement for bad, other words that might provide a more concise picture include shorted, depleted, and corroded.

Maybe we should provide a few details:

Werner cursed. He had replaced the battery and checked the connections. Why was his spy drone spinning out of control toward the sidewalk?

A curse and a question turn the scenario into a paragraph with just enough information to engage readers. Out of control could be removed.

Group 4

The bad air filled Nora’s lungs, provoking a huge coughing fit.

The polluted air filled Nora’s lungs, provoking a huge coughing fit.

Polluted suits the scenario and provides a touch of alliteration. Additional words could include fetid, foul, noxious, putrid, or tainted.

We could incorporate more show and less tell:

Nora groped through the smog, eyes tearing, coughing more with every labored breath.

The previous sentence provides a dramatic image you don’t see in the first two examples.

Group 5

”That’s a bad assumption,” said the professor.

“That’s an incorrect assumption,” said the professor.

Would a professor use a vague word in preference to one that is more concise?

Perhaps he’d show an emotion such as amusement with body language instead of dialogue:

The professor listened to the student’s answer, and belly-laughed, holding on to the back of his chair as though he’d collapse if he let go.

Obviously, the student’s answer is so ridiculous that the professor can’t contain his mirth, a mirth that borders on disdain.

Group 6

“The rent isn’t too bad, so I signed the lease,” Brett said.

“The rent isn’t too steep, so I signed the lease,” Brett said.

This connotation of bad refers to a monetary amount. Other words to replace steep might be unreasonable, exorbitant, or expensive.

Here’s an alternative approach that includes a bit of tension:

“I can afford the rent increase, honestly, I can,” Brett said. However, he avoided eye contact with me. I’m sure he was lying.

The narrator could omit the last sentence, and readers would still intuit Brett’s uncertainty.

Group 7

Brandon had a bad reputation.

Brandon had a criminal reputation.

A single edit tells about Brandon’s reputation, without increasing word count. If room allows, we could pen something more elaborate:

Brandon sold drugs in the shadows, ever alert to security cameras and police patrols.

The last version shows why the narrator has such a low opinion of Brandon.

Group 8

Clint’s breath was so bad it filled the entire elevator.

Clint’s breath was so rank it filled the entire elevator.

The second sentence is better, but we could show why Clint’s breath is rank:

Clint’s barfy breath filled the entire elevator.

Any number of situations and ingested substances could cause bad breath. Pick one. Then incorporate descriptive words that advance your story.

Group 9

I had a bad dream again last night.

I had a terrible dream again last night.

The second sentence is stronger than the first, but English has a word for bad dream: nightmare.

I had a nightmare about Hank again last night.

Now we see something specific that piques the interest of readers. Who is Hank? Why would he cause nightmares?

Group 10

The letter contained bad news.

The letter contained devastating news.

Perhaps we should be more specific:

The letter contained a notice of eviction.

The letter contained an obituary for my sister.

With just a few extra words, we incorporate details that could segue into suspense or tragedy. In the next group, we’ll continue the thought of a sister’s obituary.

Group 11

I felt bad because I hadn’t called my sister for three years.

I felt mean because I hadn’t called my sister for three years.

Do bad or mean appropriately describe the emotion sparked by a broken family relationship?

Why hadn’t I called Sis before she died? My eyes filled with tears.

Now we show the narrator’s emotion and remove the filter word felt. Identifying the sister as Sis makes the paragraph more poignant.

Note the Comparative and Superlative Forms of Bad

Remember, it’s bad, worse, worst (not bad, badder, baddest).

However, a protagonist might say something like “Billy’s the baddest boy in these here parts, badder than anyone I ever seen.”

The protagonist isn’t described, but you probably envisioned an uneducated person, perhaps an old fellow with a toothpick hanging out one corner of his mouth.

Direct Alternatives for Bad

These descriptors will help you target the connotation you need in your writing.

Bad Adjectives A to L

A and B
abhorrent, abject, abominable, abysmal, adulterated, adverse, alarming, amateurish, amiss, annoying, appalling, atrocious, austere, awful, barbaric, barbarous, barfy, base, beastly, befouled, below-par, bent, blah, blemished, blighted, brutal, bum

C
calamitous, careless, catastrophic, cheap, cheeky, cheesy, contaminated, contemptible, contrary, corrupt, crappy, criminal, cringeworthy, crippling, critical, crooked, cruddy, cruel, crummy, crushing, cursed

D
dangerous, dastardly, debauched, decadent, decayed, decaying, decomposed, decomposing, defective, defiant, deficient, degenerate, deleterious, depraved, despicable, deplorable, detestable, detrimental, devastating, diabolical, difficult, dilapidated, dire, disastrous, disagreeable, diseased, disgraceful, disgusting, disheartening, dishonest, dishonorable, dismaying, disobedient, disorderly, displeasing, disruptive, distasteful, distressing, disturbing, dreadful

E and F
egregious, errant, erroneous, evil, execrable, exorbitant, expensive, false, faulty, felonious, fetid, fiendish, flagitious, flagrant, flea-bitten, fleabag, foul, fruitless

G and H
galling, ghastly, godawful, grave, grievous, grim, grody, gross, grungy, harmful, harsh, hateful, heinous, hellish, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, hurtful

I
icky, ignoble, ignominious, ill, immoral, imperfect, impish, improper, inaccurate, inadequate, inappropriate, inclement, incompetent, incorrect, indecent, ineffective, ineffectual, infected, inept, inexcusable, inexpert, infamous, inferior, infernal, iniquitous, injurious, insubordinate, intolerable

J to L
junky, lame, lamentable, lawless, loathsome, lousy, low-quality, lowdown, luckless

Bad Adjectives M to W

M
maggot-filled, maggoty, malevolent, malfunctioning, malicious, marred, mean, meaningless, mediocre, merciless, mildewed, misbehaved, mischievous, miserable, moldering, moldy, monstrous, murderous, mutinous

N
nasty, naughty, nauseated, nauseating, nefarious, negligent, no-account, nocuous, noisome, not up to par, not up to scratch, not up to snuff, noxious

O and P
obdurate, obnoxious, obscene, obstreperous, odious, off, offensive, ominous, out-of-control, outrageous, paltry, pathetic, perfidious, pejorative, petty, pigheaded, pitiful, pointless, poisonous, polluted, poor, preposterous, putrid, putrefied

R
rambunctious, ramshackle, rancid, rank, rat-infested, ratty, raunchy, rebellious, repellent, repelling, reprehensible, reprobate, repugnant, repulsive, restive, revolting, riotous, rotten, rowdy, rude, ruinous, ruthless

S
sassy, scandalous, scarred, scurvy, seamy, second-class, second-rate, seedy, senseless, serious, shabby, shameless, shocking, shoddy, sickening, sinful, sinister, sketchy, slipshod, slummy, somber, sordid, sorry, sour, spiteful, spoiled, squalid, stale, stormy, stressful, subpar, substandard, swinish

T
tainted, tarnished, tawdry, terrible, the pits, third-rate, tragic, traitorous, traumatic, treacherous, troublesome

U
unacceptable, uncontrollable, uncooperative, undeserving, undesirable, unethical, unfavorable, unfit, unfortunate, unhealthy, unlucky, unmanageable, unpalatable, unpleasant, unprincipled, unproductive, unreasonable, unruly, unsatisfactory, unsavory, unscrupulous, unsound, unwelcome, unwell, unwholesome, unworthy, upsetting, useless

V and W
vexatious, vile, villainous, wayward, wicked, wild, willful, woeful, wormy, worthless, wretched, wrong

Exercises and Story Prompts

Can you eliminate all instances of bad in the following? Pay attention to nuances.

Exercise 1

Ariel felt bad about her latest report card. Three bad grades, four mediocre, and one good. But she was so tired all the time. Worst were mornings, when she felt so bad she wanted to upchuck her breakfast. Maybe it was time to tell Drake the truth.

[Readers will assume Ariel is pregnant. Can you twist this into a dramatic surprise? Maybe she ingested poison because of something in the school’s environment. Perhaps she’s suffering anxiety attacks about a previous or planned action.]

Exercise 2

A bad smell forced its way into the basement through the single crevice Warren hadn’t stuffed with rags. A bad feeling crept up his spine as he searched for something to keep the bad vapors from reaching his nostrils. Would the police arrive in time?

Exercise 3

“Bad water, bad food, and bad mattresses.” Chelsea threw a moldy pillow onto the floor. “What else does this bad hotel offer? Free fleas and bedbugs?”

Heat crawled from Eddie’s chest into his face and ears. “Well if you hadn’t blown all our money at that casino and got us kicked out by that bad-ass bouncer, we might have been able to afford something decent.”

[Careful. Dialogue should be realistic.]

Exercise 4

Syd’s bad humor permeated every thought, every deed. It affected his work performance. Three customers had accused him of providing bad service.

Humph.

Not his fault the car lot was filled with badly serviced lemons. Not his fault his house had been repossessed because of a bad loan with an exorbitant interest rate. Not his fault his girlfriend’s body lay beneath the patio stones, just waiting to be discovered by the new owners.

How could he remove the corpse without being caught?

Exercise 5

Black cats were bad luck, right? Then why did Carole win at least $250 every time she lugged Samba along with her when she purchased lottery tickets?

She cradled her cat in the crook of her right arm, whistling as she dreamed of today’s win. Ten tickets. She’d buy ten tickets, and then —

Screeching brakes. A thump.

Carole landed on her back, a bad pain knifing through her shoulders, as Samba ran away.

Exercise 6

One bad decision, a bad fall, and here we were, stranded at the bottom of an unscalable cliff. The wind was blowing so bad we couldn’t keep warm no matter how often we stoked the fire. We huddled together in the bad winter weather and prayed for the rescue choppers to arrive before it was too late.

[Too late because of the freezing weather? Too late because they would be late for _____?]