Ways to say it
| Tamil | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| கெட்ட | keṭṭa | /kɛʈːɐ/ |
| மோசம் | mōcam | /moːtʃɐm/ |
| மோசமான | mōcamāṉa |
In Tamil, different words are used to describe various types of negativity. கெட்ட is used to describe something that is morally wrong, wicked or refers to a person's character. மோசமான is used to describe a situation, a standard of quality or a condition, such as "bad weather". The form மோசம் can also function as a noun meaning "badness" or be used in certain comparative contexts to mean "worst".
Which one should you use?
Use கெட்ட to describe a person's character or the quality of an object. Use மோசமான to describe a situation or a standard of quality.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
மோசமான is an adjective used to modify a noun, such as "bad weather". மோசம் can function as a noun meaning "badness" or "worst".
How do you pronounce it?
The default form கெட்ட is pronounced /kɛʈːɐ/.
Did you know?
- The word மோசம் is a linguistic relative of the Sanskrit word moṣa, which refers to 'stealing' or 'theft'.
- While கெட்ட describes something 'bad', the root verb கெட்டு can also mean 'to be destroyed' or 'to spoil'.
- The root of கெட்ட is a pan-Dravidian term, meaning you will find nearly identical sounding words in Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu.
Examples in context
- இது ஒரு கெட்ட பழக்கம்.idhu oru ketta pazhakkam.This is a bad habit.
- கெட்ட செய்தியைச் சொல்லாதே.ketta seidhiyai sollaadhay.Don't tell bad news.
Example conversation
Arun and Divya are talking about a movie they watched.
- திவ்யா Divyaபடம் எப்படி இருந்தது?Padam eppadi irundhadhu?How was the movie?
- அருண் Arunஅது ஒரு கெட்ட படம்.Adhu oru ketta padam.It was a bad movie.
- திவ்யா Divyaஏன் அப்படி சொல்கிறாய்?Yen appadi solgirai?Why do you say that?
- அருண் Arunகதை மிகவும் மோசமாக இருந்தது.Kadhai migavum mosamaaga irundhadhu.The story was very bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries கெட்ட, மோசம், CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries கெட்ட, மோசம், CC BY-SA 4.0.
