sufficiently bad

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sufficiently bad" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is bad enough to meet a certain threshold or standard of negativity. Example: "The weather was sufficiently bad that we decided to cancel the outdoor event."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

CLEESE -- My teeth are sufficiently bad.

The New York Times

The Fed's mandate is, by law and by convention, to worry about the United States economy, although officials in Washington are willing to provide outside assistance when things get sufficiently bad (e.g., the dollar funding provided to European banks, directly and indirectly, in the darkest days of 2008-9).

The New York Times

If a person's life is sufficiently bad, an all-loving God might permit his property to be destroyed through suicide.

SEP

Or suppose that I am throwing darts at a target, and that my aim is sufficiently bad that I am equally likely to hit any point on the target.

SEP

A gradient sufficiently bad to cause an SaO2 of 80% on 100% rebreather mask, is 'respiratory failure'.

Critical Care

In the IGCC classification, all intermediate tumour markers and all poor risk factors were required only to be sufficiently bad to be classified as intermediate and poor prognosis, respectively, that is, differences in importance between intermediate tumour markers and differences in importance between poor risk factors are not taken into account.

British Journal of Cancer

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

This gives a single sufficiently radioactive bad review a blackball effect which is, of course, the most fervent hope of the person who posted it.

The New Yorker

In terms of monetary policy, investors have absorbed the good news from near-zero rates (cash will be forced into risky assets) without reflecting sufficiently on the bad news (rates are low because central banks are very nervous about growth prospects).

The Economist

What matters is that if news is sufficiently good or bad to catapult a company onto a magazine cover, then it is already reflected in the share price.

The Economist

A is better than B just in case B is worse than A. So if "good" is just "better than sufficiently many" and "bad" is just "worse than sufficiently many", all of the interesting facts in the neighborhood would seem to be captured by an assessment of what stands in the better than relation to what.

SEP

"I think we'll show the fortitude to take this at least into late tomorrow to give David Warner a decent chance to get sufficiently into Aleem Dar's bad books to get fined his match fee.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "sufficiently bad" to emphasize that a situation or condition has reached a notable degree of negativity, justifying a particular response or action. For example, "The data breach was sufficiently bad to warrant immediate notification to all affected customers."

Common error

While grammatically sound, "sufficiently bad" can sound overly formal or stilted in casual conversation. Opt for more natural alternatives like "bad enough" or "terrible" to maintain a conversational tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sufficiently bad" functions as an adverbial modifier intensifying the adjective 'bad'. As Ludwig AI states, it indicates that something has reached a threshold of negativity. Examples show its use in describing situations needing action, such as a "sufficiently bad" data breach.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "sufficiently bad" is a grammatically correct and usable expression in English, albeit somewhat uncommon. According to Ludwig AI, it is used to describe something that is bad enough to meet a certain threshold or standard of negativity. It finds use across diverse contexts, including news, science and formal communication, though other alternatives such as "bad enough" may be preferred in informal settings. The phrase serves to emphasize the degree of negativity in a situation, often justifying a specific response.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

bad enough

A more direct and common way to express that something meets the threshold of being bad.

adequately poor

Replaces 'sufficiently' with 'adequately', suggesting just meeting the minimum requirement of being bad.

terrible enough

Emphasizes a higher degree of negativity compared to "sufficiently bad".

poor enough

Focuses on a lack of quality, similar to "sufficiently bad" in certain contexts.

unacceptably poor

Indicates that the level of badness is beyond what is tolerable.

intolerably bad

Suggests that the level of badness is unbearable or cannot be accepted.

remarkably poor

Draws attention to how bad something is in the sense of poor quality.

noticeably bad

Indicates that something is bad to a degree that is easily observed or detected.

decidedly poor

Emphasizes the poor quality with more force.

seriously flawed

Focuses on significant defects or imperfections, similar to being 'sufficiently bad' in terms of quality or functionality.

FAQs

What does "sufficiently bad" mean?

The phrase "sufficiently bad" means something has reached a degree of badness that meets a certain threshold or justifies a particular reaction. It implies the situation is notably negative.

What can I say instead of "sufficiently bad"?

You can use alternatives like "bad enough", "terrible enough", or "adequately poor" depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is "sufficiently bad" formal or informal?

The phrase "sufficiently bad" leans toward the formal side. In informal contexts, using phrases like "bad enough" sounds more natural.

How to use "sufficiently bad" in a sentence?

You can use "sufficiently bad" to describe situations that warrant a certain response. For example: "The storm was sufficiently bad to cause widespread power outages."