What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Harm vs Bad - What's the difference?

harm | bad |

As nouns the difference between harm and bad

is that harm is injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune while bad is error, mistake.

As verbs the difference between harm and bad

is that harm is to cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something while bad is form of Alternative past tense|bid|lang=en. See {{l/en|bade|bade}}.

As an adjective bad is

not good; unfavorable; negative.

As an adverb bad is

badly.

harm

English

(wikipedia harm)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
  • * , chapter=13
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.}}
  • That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
  • We, ignorant of ourselves, / Beg often our own harms .

    Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.
  • Derived terms

    * do no harm * harmer * harmless * harm's way * self-harm * unharmed

    Anagrams

    * ----

    bad

    English

    (wikipedia bad)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) bad, ).

    Adjective

  • Not good; unfavorable; negative.
  • * , chapter=10
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.}}
  • Not suitable or fitting.
  • Seemingly non-appropriate, in manners, etc.
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=“[…] if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]”}}
  • Unhealthy.
  • Lard is bad'''' for you. Smoking is '''bad''' for you, too. Grapes are '''bad for dogs but not for humans.
  • Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
  • Evil; wicked.
  • Faulty; not functional.
  • (of food) , rotten, overripe.
  • (of breath) , foul.
  • (informal) Bold and daring.
  • (of a, need or want) Severe, urgent.
  • Usage notes
    The comparative badder and superlative baddest are nonstandard.
    Synonyms
    * (not good) unfavorable, negative * * (not suitable or fitting) * * wicked, evil, vile, vicious * (not functional) faulty * (of food) rotten * (of breath) malodorous, foul * badass * (of a need or want) severe, urgent, dire (to be assigned) * false * spurious * disgusting * wrong * corrupt * ill * base * abandoned * vicious * abominable * detestable * deficient * inferior * lousy * off * poor * punk * substandard * unacceptable * ungodly * unsatisfactory * wanting * wretched * See also
    Antonyms
    * good * right * worthy * competent * benevolent * true * honest * just * sincere * beneficial * advantageous * profitable * virtuous * reputable * upright * propitious * choice * excellent * exceptional * first-class * first-rate * premium * prime * superior * adequate * sufficient
    See also
    * astray * base * bum * contemptible * defective * despicable * dirty * execrable * faulty * flawed * inadequate * insufficient * lacking * lesser * low-grade * mediocre * par * reprehensible * scurrilous * second-rate * under * unspeakable * useless * valueless * villainous * worthless
    Derived terms
    * bad actor * bad apple * bad beat * bad blood * bad boy * bad breath * bad check * bad debt * baddie * bad egg * bad ending * bad eye * bad fairy * bad faith * bad for you * bad guy * bad hair day * bad hat * bad iron * bad joke * bad language * bad light * bad lot * bad luck * bad man * bad-mannered * bad manners * bad medicine * bad money * bad-mouth * badness * bad news * bad off * bad penny * bad-tempered * Bad Thing * bad to the bone * go bad * not bad * too bad

    Adverb

  • Badly.
  • I didn't do too bad in the last exam.

    Noun

    (-)
  • (slang) error, mistake
  • Sorry, my bad !
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • *
  • (countable, uncountable, economics) An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good.
  • * {{quote-book, title=International Economics: Global Markets and Competition
  • , first=Henry , last=Thompson , pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=RQeYBbSlXLIC&lpg=PA97&dq=%22economic%20bad%22&pg=PA97
  • v=onepage&q=%22economic%20bad%22&f=false
  • , page=97 , year=2011 , edition=3rd , publisher=World Scientific , passage=Imports are an economic good but exports an economic bad . Exports must be produced but are enjoyed by foreign consumers. }}
  • * {{quote-book, title=Economics
  • , author=William J. Boyes, Michael Melvin , pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=LgaZaie5V1YC&lpg=PA4&dq=bads&pg=PA4
  • v=onepage&q=bads&f=false
  • , page=4 , year=2011 , edition=9th , publisher=Cengage Learning , passage=An economic bad' is anything that you would pay to get rid of. It is not so hard to think of examples of ' bads : pollution, garbage, and disease fit the description. }}

    Etymology 2

    Probably identical to bad , etymology 1, above, especially in the sense "bold, daring".

    Adjective

    (badder)
  • (rfm-sense) (slang) Fantastic.
  • You is (SIC) bad , man!
    Also Bek is "bad " at Madden.

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (head)
  • (archaic) .
  • Etymology 4

    Verb

    (badd)
  • (British, dialect, transitive) To shell (a walnut).
  • * 1876 , The Gloucester Journal'', Oct. 7, 1876, reported in William John Thomas, Doran (John), Henry Frederick Turle, Joseph Knight, Vernon Horace Rendall, Florence Hayllar, ''Notes and Queries , page 346
  • A curious specimen of Gloucestershire dialect c»me out in an assault case heard by the Gloucester court magistrates on Saturday. One of the witnesses, speaking of what a girl was doing at the time the assault took place, said she was ' badding' ' walnuts in a pigstye. The word is peculiarly provincial : to ' '''bad''' ' walnuts is to strip away the husk. The walnut, too, is often called » 'bannut,' and hence the old Gloucestershire phrase, ' Come an' ' bad the bannuts.'

    Statistics

    *