Better words for ‘good’ and ‘bad’
In the IELTS speaking test, many students overuse the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ when describing their experiences. This means that they will score low marks in the Vocabulary section. There is another worksheet here for more interesting vocabulary for the Writing Test.
Below are some alternatives to use — they will make your speech much more interesting. Often, candidates know these words but they still do not use them in the test.
GOOD: superb, wonderful, super, terrific, amazing, lovely, great, fantastic, fabulous
BAD: awful, terrible, dreadful, horrible, appalling, horrendous (the last two are very strong)
TASK
Talk about these areas using the language from above and give as much detail as possible — remember, long answers!
- The best restaurants in your city/town
- The best tourist places in your country
- A film you really enjoyed
- A person you really like
- A time you spent with your friends that you really enjoyed
- The best shops in your city/town
- The worst meal you have had
- The worst TV programme you’ve seen
- A journey you made you that was really difficult
- Something you did at work you didn’t enjoy
The words “good” and “bad” express how we feel about something. However, they’re also overused, which means they can lack impact.
To make your writing more powerful, then, you might want to use some of the synonyms for “good” and “bad” from below.
Synonyms for “Good”
“Good” has many uses as a noun and an adjective. Here, we’ll focus on the adjectival uses, where its basic meaning is “desirable” or “of a high standard.”
Note, though, that the best alternative will depend on what you’re trying to say. Here’s a list of some common uses of “good” and suitable synonyms:
|
Definition |
Example |
Synonyms |
|
Acceptable in quality or degree |
We have a good sense of how to proceed. |
adequate, fair, satisfactory, sufficient |
|
High quality or desirable |
Ghostbusters is a good film. |
brilliant, excellent, great, outstanding, superb |
|
Useful or beneficial |
Regular exercise is good for your health. |
advantageous, helpful, positive, valuable |
|
Morally good or agreeable |
A good person helps those in need. |
admirable, decent, respectable, virtuous |
|
Skilled or capable |
He is a very good singer. |
accomplished, proficient, skillful, talented |
|
Pleasant or pleasing |
That flower smells good. |
delightful, enjoyable, nice, pleasurable, satisfying |
The best way to pick a “good” (i.e., acceptable) synonym is to know what you’re trying to say. This will often lead you to a more descriptive alternative.
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Synonyms for “Bad”
We say something is “bad” to express a negative opinion. It is, therefore, the opposite of good in every sense. Here are several alternative terms:
|
Definition |
Example |
Synonyms |
|
Low quality or faulty |
A bad diet can cause health issues. |
deficient, inadequate, mediocre, poor |
|
Of a very low quality |
Bathing in a tub of scorpions was a bad idea. |
awful, dreadful, terrible, unacceptable |
|
Harmful or negative |
Smoking is bad for you. |
damaging, detrimental, injurious, unhealthy |
|
Immoral or disagreeable |
Bad behavior will be punished. |
evil, reprehensible, unpleasant, wrong |
|
Unpleasant or unwelcome |
We saw the bad news on television. |
abhorrent, disagreeable, troublesome, undesirable |
There are other uses of “bad” not described here, such as describing an injured body part (e.g., a “bad back”) or rotten food (e.g., “bad meat”). As with “good,” this makes it important to check the definition of synonyms for “bad.”
“Good” and “Bad” in Academic Writing
It’s okay to use words like “good” and “bad” in academic writing, but they’re not usually enough by themselves. This is because they’re evaluative rather than descriptive. For example, if we were writing about management techniques, we might say, “Unpaid overtime is bad for staff morale.” That is an evaluation. But to demonstrate our understanding, we’d also need to explain why it’s bad and how we reached that conclusion.
The answer, then, is to remember that academic writing requires an explanation of our judgments. The same applies to these words in other forms of critical writing. Another option is to have your work proofread by the experts. As part of this service, we will highlight and suggest replacements for “weak” language like “good” and “bad” if it is misused. And this, in turn, will make sure that your writing makes more of an impact.
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How many words do you know that mean happy? What about sad? In today’s lesson you’ll learn LOTS of different ways to describe how you’re feeling. When you’re learning a language, it’s important to have a broad vocabulary. Whether you’re writing an essay or you’re speaking with your boss, using more interesting and expressive vocabulary will make your sentences clearer, and you’ll sound more intelligent, too. Try using the adjectives in this lesson instead of ordinary ones at work, school, or in the writing and speaking sections of exams like the IELTS, TOEFL, or CAE. You’ll also learn some common expressions and idioms that native speakers use to talk about their mood, like over the moon, happy bunny, and down in the dumps.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.
LEAVE A COMMENT
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#1
Pork rinds. Potato chips. Cheese cake. You get the picture. So good tasting but so bad for you.
Is there a word for this attribute?
Could it be «dichotomy» or «dichotomic»? I’m doubting it.
I supposed people have used adjectives such as «sinful» but that’s getting into the vague areas of morals and values. I’m looking for something more concrete as the above food stuffs are (nearly) universally satisfying and measurably bad.
Cagey
post mod (English Only / Latin)
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#2
How do you want to use this word?
Please give us a sample sentence.
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#3
«Pork rinds: could there be a food more <the word I am seeking>?»
«I thought pork rinds were the standard for <the word I am seeking> until I had a bite of…»
Last edited: Mar 7, 2015
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#4
Well, it’d be ‘dichotomous’ … that doesn’t mean exactly what you are aiming at, but it’s in the vicinity. So are ‘polarizing’ and ‘ambivalent.’
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#5
I assume you’re joking.
To a friend muching pork rinds: «Hey, you know they’re dichotomous, don’t you?»
«Well, that’s probably overstating things, but I do find them polarizing!»
Well, it’d be ‘dichotomous’ … that doesn’t mean exactly what you are aiming at, but it’s in the vicinity. So are ‘polarizing’ and ‘ambivalent.’
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#6
I assume you’re joking.
To a friend muching pork rinds: «Hey, you know they’re dichotomous, don’t you?»
«Well, that’s probably overstating things, but I do find them polarizing!»
Heh! Only sort of joking. We Chinese have a popular roast pork dish.
It is the epitome of the word I’m looking for. Sooo delicious. And sooo bad for you.
View attachment 15260
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#7
«It’s both good and bad for you».
That the idiom, Morty, run with it.
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#8
Sadly, looks like there’s no one word for it. I’m going to have to invent it:
«Benemalignant»