10 Synonyms of BAD in French

It’s BAD enough when you want to work out whether to say MAL or MAUVAIS . . . so let’s find some other ways to say this and get expanding our vocabulary.

You see, we love saying something is GOOD, but when people want to explain just the opposite to us, it’s not a MAUVAISE idée (bad idea) to be able to understand what people are saying to us. 

My first synonym in French for BAD was a complete failure to cook something for a French person.  

Sadly, they said it was “IMMANGEABLE”, sending me into a spin of learning both new words and new ways of cooking.  Fortunately, we just laughed, but the experience itself was quite a lesson! 

So, in this mini-lesson you will discover:

•  10 interesting ways to say something is BAD in French
•  How to pronounce the words
•  How these words appear in context to help you learn

How do you say "bad" in French?

Since it’s not a bad idea to start with the first direct translation of the word "bad", let’s do it!

Whenever someone or something is bad, you want the French adjective of mauvais for the masculine and mauvaise for the feminine. For the plural add an extra “s” for the feminine since the masculine already has it. 

One example for you:

• C’est une très mauvaise idée >>> That’s a very bad idea.

So, you are covered with the main translation of "bad". Now, time to be specific and discover its synonyms…

The French word for inedible.

When it comes to food, whether something is extremely bad or even poisonous, the word you are looking for is inedible. Well, in French, it would be immangeable. Oui! You can surely see the prefix “in/ im” for the opposite and the verb “manger” (to eat).

Here’s how you would have it in context:

• Je suis désolé mais ce champignon est vénéneux. Il est immangeable.  >>> I’m so sorry, this mushroom is poisonous: it’s inedible.

Therefore, you can apply this specific adjective referring to food you can’t eat.

How do you translate undrinkable in French?

Let’s do the same with liquids you can’t drink. Again, it implies the liquid is not healthy or simply with very bad taste.

Let’s have an example:

• Ce smoothie au chou et à l’ail est imbuvable.  >>> This cabbage and garlic smoothie is undrinkable.

Would you seriously drink this? By the way, you can identify the same prefix and if you remember the verb “boire”, you are able to recognise the root. (nous BUVons is an indication.)

Learn how to describe a naughty person in French.

What about people? Let’s start with naughty and in the following part, you will see the adjective with a higher degree of “badness”.

In French, “naughty” is méchant. You would say it like the following:

• C’était méchant de ta part de voler cette barre de chocolat >>> It was naughty of you to steal that chocolate bar.

Note that “méchant” as a noun is the villain in stories. Indeed, you have the good (les gentils) and the villains (les méchants).

Be specific and say vile in French.

Once you know how to say naughty, you can expand it and say “infect” in French when it’s worse than nasty: vile.

Not sure how to put it into context? Just like this:

• Elle a une personnalité infecte: elle est vraiment méchante avec ses collègues >>> She has a vile character: she is really nasty with to her colleagues. 

Feel free to apply this adjective for food as well.

What’s the adjective of disgusting in French?

Let’s go back to food. Imagine you eat something that is…disgusting. Oui, you could say “mauvais” but it’s not enough to express your disgust. What you really mean is disgusting which is “dégoûtant” in French. Here’s the way to do it:

• C’était un repas dégoûtant, plain d’acariens.>>> That was a disgusting meal full of flour mite.

Can you spot the word “goût” meaning taste? 

Describe something dreadful in French.

What about situations? Films? Shows? Concerts? You may have had a very bad experience… it was dreadful. You want to say this in French and it’s…épouvantable.

You would have this adjective in sentences like this one::

• C’était un spectable épouvantable >>> It was a dreadful performance. 

By the way, you could describe people and food with the very same adjective too. 

How do you know how to say gross in French?

You feel more than disgust…you can’t stand the sight or the idea of it… What you wish to say is gross. And the French translation is dégueulasse. 

It is a very used word in everyday situations and here’s an example for you:

• Toutes ces crottes de chien sont dégueulasses. >>> All these dog poops are gross.

In addition, there’s another way to translate gross and it’s répugnant.

The word hateful in French.

Let’s go extreme. Now, you really really really don’t like something or someone because it triggers hate. The English adjective to describe this is hateful and its French equivalent is détestable. 

Here’s one of many ways to say it:

• Délibérément faire du mal aux gens est détestable. >>> Deliberately hurting people is hateful.

How can you say rotten in French?

This time, you are talking about your feelings or opinion but you are stating a fact while describing food. Whenever something is rotten, you need the specific French word of pourri or its synonym périmé.

I’m showing you this example:

• Ces fruits sont pourris. Je ne peux pas les manger >>> These fruits are rotten. I can’t eat them.

Don’t forget to add an “e” for the feminine and “s” for the plural even if the pronunciation remains the same!

10 different synonyms of bad in French.

To sum up, you have not only learned or reviewed how to say bad but you also discovered several synonyms. Pas mal ! (not bad!).

You saw how to be specific and which adjectives to apply for people, food or situations…

Here’s the list for you:

• Mauvais(e) >>> bad
• Immangeable >>> unedible
• Imbuvable >>> undrinkable
• Méchant(e) >>> naughty
• Dégoûtant(e)  >>> disgusting
• Épouvantable >>> dreadful
• Dégueulasse >>> gross
• Détestable >>> hateful
• Infect(e) >>> vile
• Pourri(e) >>> rotten  

At this point, you are fully capable to express your opinion on someone or something that is…bad. And by the way, if you want to look how to translate the expression “My bad”, read this post:

 “My bad!” in French - 3 Ways to translate it! 

Remember to create your own examples without trying to memorise all the synonyms of bad. Pick your top choice for people, food and situations, then expan them. Should you still have doubt, don’t feel…bad! Reach out!