talk bad about vs talk badly about

Both "talk bad about" and "talk badly about" are commonly used phrases, but they have slightly different meanings. "Talk bad about" is informal and means to speak negatively about someone or something, while "talk badly about" is more formal and means to speak in a negative or disparaging way about someone or something.

Last updated: April 13, 2024 • 395 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in informal contexts.

"talk bad about"

This phrase is informal and means to speak negatively about someone or something.

Examples:

I heard you talking bad about me behind my back.
It's not nice to talk bad about others.

Show examples from the web [+]

I don't normally talk bad about schools because I understand that opinions are different but I'm just a little frustrated with Walden right now. I got a...
May 23, 2019 ... No one likes negative people. Interviewers will think you'll talk bad about them some day or carry that same attitude into the workplace. And if ...
Find out if your employer has the right to talk bad about you to your new, prospective employers. The answer may surprise you.
Sep 20, 2017 ... WARREN BUFFETT: People who talk bad about America are 'out of their mind' · (Reuters) - Uncertainty about how the United States will cope with ...
Nov 2, 2021 ... So keep reading to understand why it's incredibly harmful to talk bad about your spouse! What is Talking Bad or Man-Bashing and Why It Needs to ...
Discover short videos related to talk bad about me behind my back on TikTok. Watch popular content from the following creators: soph(@sophiet_spams), ...
Apr 22, 2019 ... Today I wanted to talk about why you should never talk bad about other companies or about people who leave your team and go to another ...

Alternatives:

speak ill of
speak negatively about
criticize

This phrase is correct and more formal than "talk bad about."

"talk badly about"

This phrase is more formal and means to speak in a negative or disparaging way about someone or something.

Examples:

She always talks badly about her colleagues.
It's not appropriate to talk badly about others.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 29, 2018 ... In most households, the cardinal rule is that you never talk badly about family, particularly to those outside the family.
Jun 12, 2015 ... ... to this situation, an employee that talks badly about their prior employer, will also talk badly about you to their next employer.
Oct 6, 2020 ... Learn how to use the Spanish sentence "¡No hables mal de tu jefe en la entrevista!" ("Don't talk badly about your boss in the interview!
Nov 27, 2021 ... I've heard many people talk badly about their church. That's why I was intrigued with an article in DesiringGod.org.
Oct 9, 2019 ... But they talk badly about the United States -- but when (they) talk about China, they don't want to say anything bad.”.
Do the parents talk badly about one another in front of the child? Do they allow the other parent to have access to or contact with the child (following the ...
Jan 8, 2008 ... As Chicano poet Gloria Anzaldua wrote in Borderlands: La Frontera: "So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about my language.
Oct 8, 2021 ... "One of the Queen's unspoken rules is to never talk badly about any member of her family to outsiders, rather only support them, ...

Alternatives:

speak negatively about
speak disparagingly about
criticize

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talk bad about vs talk badly about

"talk bad about"

"talk badly about"

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