bad and risky share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bad means “having undesirable or negative qualities”. risky means “involving risk or danger”. bad is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbæd/
1.adj.having undesirable or negative qualities
“a bad report card”
2.adj.very intense
“a bad headache”
3.adj.feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')
“my throat feels bad”
/ˈɹɪski/
1.adj.involving risk or danger
“skydiving is a hazardous sport”
2.adj.not financially safe or secure
“a bad investment”
| bad | risky | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæd/ | /ˈɹɪski/ |
| Said | bad | RI-skee |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, adverb, noun | adjective |
| Senses | 17 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | hazardous, wild |
Full entry for bad · Full entry for risky · More comparisons