【in a bad way】 —

1. in trouble; having serious problems:

• The basic exporting industries of Great Britain—coal, metallurgy and textiles—have been 【in a bad way】 .

2. (of health) in a bad or critical state:

• But one of the poor men who were hurt at the fire is dead, and another is, I fear, 【in a bad way】 .

3. (coll.) desire smth. greatly:

• It’s Friday morning and I’m wanting 【in a bad way】 to stand hip deep in the chilly current of a fast moving river.

4. fail or be defeated miserably:

• He has found himself dragged down by the Party and defeated 【in a bad way】 in a General Election.

【in the worst way】 —

1. = 【in a bad way】 3:

• I then wanted 【in the worst way】 to build a sail boat and sail around the world.

2. = 【in a bad way】 4:

• To try a major novel about the last war in Europe without a sense of the past is to fail 【in the worst way】 .