The English word "badly" has several meanings, and here's an analysis of its synonyms:
Meaning: In a poor or unsatisfactory way; not well
- Poorly: This is a very close synonym to "badly" when it refers to doing something in an inadequate or substandard manner. For example, "He performed badly in the exam." can be rewritten as "He performed poorly in the exam." Both words convey that the person did not do well in the examination.
- Terribly: It emphasizes a high degree of badness or awfulness. If you say, "The movie was badly made." you could also say "The movie was terribly made." Here, "terribly" intensifies the sense of how poorly the movie was crafted.
- Awfully: Similar to "terribly", it indicates a strong sense of something being bad. For instance, "The food tasted badly." can be expressed as "The food tasted awfully." It shows that the quality of the food was not good.
- Miserably: This word implies a sense of wretchedness or extreme dissatisfaction with how something was done. For example, "She played badly in the concert." could be said as "She played miserably in the concert." suggesting that her performance was of a very low standard.
Meaning: To a great extent; very much
- Very: In some contexts where "badly" is used to express a high degree of need or intensity, "very" can be a substitute. For example, "I want it badly." can be translated to "I want it very much." Here, "very" captures the essence of the strong desire that "badly" conveys in this sense.
- Extremely: It is another way to show a high level of intensity. If you say, "He was badly hurt." you could also say "He was extremely hurt." Both expressions indicate that the person suffered a significant amount of injury.
- Seriously: This word can also replace "badly" when it comes to expressing a severe or significant degree. For example, "The situation is badly out of control." can be rewritten as "The situation is seriously out of control." It implies that the situation has reached a critical and unmanageable state.
So, depending on the specific meaning of "badly" in a given context, different synonyms can be used to convey a similar idea.