bad sick
Seriously ill; very sick.
Also called badly sick, real bad sick.
Updated September 21, 2026
bad sick pronunciation
/BAD sick/
Meaning
Bad here means "badly" or "very," not wicked. Someone bad sick is laid up hard, the kind of illness that brings the doctor or empties the calendar. Same intensifier pattern as bad tired or a bad cold.
How folks use it
- “He was bad sick with the flu last winter.”
- “Last one of the children taken bad sick and had to have doctoring.”
Origin and etymology
American regional English uses bad as a flat adverb meaning very or extremely. Dialect collectors found "bad sick" across places including Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia, and beyond. Southern and Appalachian speech kept the pattern in everyday talk about hard illness.
Frequently asked questions
Does bad sick mean the person is a bad person?
No. Bad intensifies sick. It means the illness is severe.