ContextPhrase · Ages 14-25 · In use
down bad
Desperate for someone's attention or affection, usually said as a joke. Earlier it meant just struggling.
She liked my story and I've been smiling all day, I'm down bad.
For parents and educators
Mostly self-mocking. It can have a sexual edge depending on who says it.
Where it came from
From African American English. The crush sense spread online around 2017.
Also heard as
so down bad
Sources