French word

mauvais

Pronunciation

IPA/movɛ/

Meaning

  • adjectivebad

Example

Il a fait un mauvais choix.

He made a bad choice.

Illustration for mauvais (bad)

More examples

C'est un mauvais film.

It's a bad film.

Core concept

A choice, result, or situation that falls short and leads to disappointment.

Common phrases

  • un mauvais film

    a bad film

  • un mauvais choix

    a bad choice

  • mauvais pour la santé

    bad for your health

Similar words

décevant: Disappointing in quality or results compared with what was expected.
médiocre: Mediocre, with below-average quality or ability.
nul: Extremely poor, with little value or ability in informal use.
défectueux: Faulty and unable to work properly because of a defect.

Definition in French

Indique qu'une chose, une situation ou un résultat n'est pas bon, de qualité faible ou décevante.

Word origin

Mauvais comes from Old French malvais, ultimately from Vulgar Latin malifatius, built from Latin malus, 'bad', and fatum, 'fate'.

Usage tips

  • Mauvais is an adjective, but the adverb is mal, as in Il a mal choisi; méchant usually refers to a person's harmful or unkind character.

Other meanings

  • unappetizingadjective
  • inferioradjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word