Bad vs. Foul — What's the Difference?

Harmful.

Highly offensive.

Poor quality.

Contaminated.

Incorrect.

Weather conditions.

Morally questionable.

Dishonest or unfair.

Unfavorable.

Obscene or abusive.

Not achieving an adequate standard; poor

Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being dirty

Immoral or evil.

Wicked or immoral

Vulgar or obscene

Containing or full of noxious matter; polluted

Disobedient or naughty

(of the weather) wet and stormy

Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing

(in sport) an unfair or invalid stroke or piece of play, especially one involving interference with an opponent

Unfavorable

A disease in the feet of cattle

Not fresh; rotten or spoiled

Contrary to the rules; unfairly.

Injurious in effect; detrimental

Make foul or dirty; pollute

Not working properly; defective

(in sport) commit a foul against (an opponent)

Full of or exhibiting faults or errors

(of a ship) collide with or interfere with the passage of (another)

Having no validity; void

Offensive to the senses; revolting

Being so far behind in repayment as to be considered a loss

Having a bad odor or taste

Severe; intense

Rotten or putrid

Being in poor health or in pain

Containing dirt, impurities, or other foreign matter; foul water.

Being in poor condition; diseased

Clogged or bestrewn with unwanted material

Sorry; regretful

Overgrown or encrusted with weeds, barnacles, or other organisms. Used of a ship's bottom.

Bad·der, bad·dest Slang Very good; great.

Entangled or enwrapped

Something that is below standard or expectations, as of ethics or decency

Morally detestable; wicked

Badly.

Vulgar or obscene

A past tense of bid.

Violating accepted standards or rules; dishonorable

Unfavorable; negative; not good.

Very disagreeable or displeasing; horrid

Not suitable or fitting.

Inclement or unfavorable

Not appropriate, of manners etc.

Irritable or upset

Unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.

(Sports) Contrary to the rules of a game or sport

(chiefly applied to a person's state of health) Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.

(Baseball) Outside the foul lines

Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient.

Marked with editorial changes or corrections

Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.

(Archaic) Ugly; unattractive.

Evil; wicked.

(Sports) An infraction or a violation of the rules of play.

Faulty; not functional.

(Baseball) A foul ball.

(of food) Spoiled, rotten, overripe.

An entanglement or a collision.

(of breath) Malodorous; foul.

An instance of clogging or obstructing.

False; counterfeit; illegitimate.

A foul copy of a document.

Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.

In a foul manner.

Of poor physical appearance.

To make dirty or foul; pollute.

(informal) Bold and daring.

To bring into dishonor; besmirch.

(slang) Good, superlative, excellent, cool.

To clog or obstruct.

Severe, urgent.

To entangle or catch (a rope, for example).

Overly promiscuous, licentious.

To encrust (a ship's hull) with foreign matter, such as barnacles.

Not covered by funds on account.

(Sports) To commit a foul against.

Badly.

(Baseball) To hit (a ball) outside the foul lines.

Something that is bad; a harm or evil.

To become foul.

Error; mistake.

(Sports) To commit a foul.

An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good. Bad (economics)

(Baseball) To hit a ball outside the foul lines

Used to scold a misbehaving child or pet.

To become entangled or twisted

(archaic) bid.

To become clogged or obstructed.

To shell (a walnut).

Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty.

Bade.

(of words or a way of speaking) Obscene, vulgar or abusive.

Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; - the opposite of good; as, a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad air; bad health; a bad crop; bad news.

Detestable, unpleasant, loathsome.

That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency;

Disgusting, repulsive; causing disgust.

Having undesirable or negative qualities;

(obsolete) Ugly; homely; poor.

Very intense;

Unpleasant, stormy or rainy.

Feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad');

Dishonest or not conforming to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc.

(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition;

(nautical) Entangled and therefore restricting free movement, not clear.

Not capable of being collected;

(technical) (with "of") Positioned on, in, or near enough to (a specified area) so as to obstruct it.

Below average in quality or performance;

(baseball) Outside of the base lines; in foul territory.

Nonstandard;

(transitive) To make dirty.

Not financially safe or secure;

(transitive) To besmirch.

Physically unsound or diseased;

(transitive) To clog or obstruct.

Capable of harming;

To entangle.

Keenly sorry or regretful;

To make contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage.

Characterized by wickedness or immorality;

To commit a foul.

Reproduced fraudulently;

To hit outside of the baselines.

Not working properly;

To hit a ball outside of the baselines.

With great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly');

(intransitive) To become clogged.

Very much; strongly;

(intransitive) To become entangled.

To come into contact or collide with.

(sports) A breach of the rules of a game, especially one involving inappropriate contact with an opposing player in order to gain an advantage; for example, tripping someone up in soccer, or contact of any kind in basketball.

(bowling) A (usually accidental) contact between a bowler and the lane before the bowler has released the ball.

(baseball) A foul ball, a ball which has been hit outside of the base lines.

A bird.

An entanglement; a collision, as in a boat race.

In various games or sports, an act done contrary to the rules; a foul stroke, hit, play, or the like.

Covered with, or containing, extraneous matter which is injurious, noxious, offensive, or obstructive; filthy; dirty; not clean; polluted; nasty; defiled; as, a foul cloth; foul hands; a foul chimney; foul air; a ship's bottom is foul when overgrown with barnacles; a gun becomes foul from repeated firing; a well is foul with polluted water.

Scurrilous; obscene or profane; abusive; as, foul words; foul language.

Hateful; detestable; shameful; odious; wretched.

Loathsome; disgusting; as, a foul disease.

Ugly; homely; poor.

Not favorable; unpropitious; not fair or advantageous; as, a foul wind; a foul road; cloudy or rainy; stormy; not fair; - said of the weather, sky, etc.

Not conformed to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc.; unfair; dishonest; dishonorable; cheating; as, foul play.

Having freedom of motion interfered with by collision or entanglement; entangled; - opposed to clear; as, a rope or cable may get foul while paying it out.

To make filthy; to defile; to daub; to dirty; to soil; as, to foul the face or hands with mire.

To incrust (the bore of a gun) with burnt powder in the process of firing.

To cover (a ship's bottom) with anything that impered its sailing; as, a bottom fouled with barnacles.

To entangle, so as to impede motion; as, to foul a rope or cable in paying it out; to come into collision with; as, one boat fouled the other in a race.

To become clogged with burnt powder in the process of firing, as a gun.

To become entagled, as ropes; to come into collision with something; as, the two boats fouled.

An act that violates of the rules of a sport

Hit a foul ball

Make impure;

Become or cause to become obstructed;

Commit a foul; break the rules

Spot, stain, or pollute;

Make unclean;

Become soiled and dirty

Highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust;

Offensively malodorous;

Violating accepted standards or rules;

(of a baseball) not hit between the foul lines

(of a manuscript) defaced with changes;

Thoroughly unpleasant;

Characterized by obscenity;

Disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter;

Especially of a ship's lines etc;

Context affects usage such that "bad" is used more broadly for a range of negatives, while "foul" is used for specific, intense negatives.

Something is defined as bad if it is of poor quality, undesirable, or harmful in some way.

Yes, foul language includes more offensive, vulgar, or obscene words compared to merely bad language.

Yes, especially if it involves extreme conditions like heavy storms or pollution.

Yes, if it is significantly polluted, dirty, or unpleasant.

Typically, "foul" is not used for minor errors; it is reserved for more severe or grossly offensive situations.

Something becomes foul when it reaches an extreme level of offensiveness or contamination.

Yes, both can refer to taste, but "foul" suggests a taste so unpleasant it might be inedible.

Perceptions can vary, with some cultures having higher tolerances for what is considered "bad" and others more sensitive to "foul" conditions.

Foul behavior in sports can include actions like cheating or playing dangerously, often penalized.