Guide 39 / 200 6 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “bad”
Six adjectives that tell the reader how bad.
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Bad" is blunt and useless in prose. "Poor," "substandard," "flawed," "unsatisfactory" each place the failure somewhere — method, standard, scale.
ii · The swaps6 ways
- 01Poor neutral
general low quality
A poor showing in Q2.
- 02Subpar neutral
below the expected standard
Subpar response times on the new build.
- 03Substandard formal
fails a specification
The components were substandard.
- 04Unsatisfactory formal
formal negative assessment
An unsatisfactory grade of service.
- 05Flawed formal
has a specific defect
A flawed design assumption.
- 06Deficient formal
missing a required element
The report was deficient in detail.
iii · And what not to sayKeep this one
"Bad" can also read as immature. In a brief, avoid it in favor of a specific failure mode.