bad and spoiled share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bad means “having undesirable or negative qualities”. spoiled means “having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention”. 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”
/ˈspɔɪld/
1.adj.having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention
“a spoiled child”
2.adj.(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition
“bad meat”
| bad | spoiled | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæd/ | /ˈspɔɪld/ |
| Said | bad | spoyld |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, adverb, noun | adjective |
| Senses | 17 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | spoilt |
Full entry for bad · Full entry for spoiled · More comparisons