Bad
Bad adjective - Falling short of a standard.
Usage example: a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess
Mean is a synonym for bad in property topic. In some cases you can use "Mean" instead an adjective "Bad", when it comes to topics like disagreeable, immoral, worthless.
Mean
Mean adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Usage example: a mean, embittered old woman who wanted company for her misery
Bad is a synonym for mean in disagreeable topic. Sometimes you can use "Bad" instead an adjective "Mean", if it concerns topics such as worthless, excellent. slang substitute
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Kristy's "ooh, I could just shake my finger at him/her," when a character does something bad or mean.
Source: Series / Hang Time - Also, adult cats are often cast as bad or mean, but kittens are usually not cast with that moral pegging.
- A lot of adaptations make the Psychic gym leader Sabrina to be a villain, or at least a mean and bad person.
Cite this Source
Mean and Bad. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/bad/mean
Bad & Mean. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/bad/mean>.
Mean or Bad. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/bad/mean.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "bad" and "mean" have occurred on timeline