Note that badly is required following look when it modifies another word or phrase in the predicate, as in The motorcycle looked badly in need of repair.

Badly is used in some regions to mean 'unwell,' as in He was looking badly after the accident.

Some people prefer to maintain a distinction between feel badly and feel bad, restricting the former to emotional distress and using the latter to cover physical ailments however, this distinction is not universally observed, so feel badly should be used in a context that makes its meaning clear. This usage bears analogy to the use of other adverbs with feel, such as strongly in We feel strongly about this issue.

The adverb badly is often used after verbs such as feel, as in I felt badly about the whole affair.

The use of badly with want and need was once considered incorrect, since in these cases it means 'very much' rather than 'in an inferior manner or condition' or 'immorally.' But this use is widespread, even in formal contexts, and is now considered standard.

In our 2009 survey, 72 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence just quoted. This usage is common in informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing. Usage Note: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as His tooth ached so bad he could not sleep.

Bad things free