English

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Etymology

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Shortening of "That is too bad" or "It is too bad that..."

Pronunciation

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Phrase

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too bad

  1. (idiomatic) That's a pity.
    You can't come to the party? Too bad.
    • 1964, Harry S. Truman, 1:38 from the start, in MP2002-288 Former President Truman Discusses the Battle of Okinawa[1], Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162, archived from the original on 13 March 2022:
      We had to kill 110,000 Japanese before we took Okinawa, and when the officers of the Japanese are killed- or defeated- they commit suicide. They cost us 12,000 men and they had to kill 110,000 Japs. And it's a terrible thing- don't know what you're gonna do with any crazy outfit like that except all you can do is to destroy them, and that's too bad.
    • 1997 August, Bill Amend, Come Closer, Roger, There's a Mosquito on Your Nose (Foxtrot Collection)‎[2], Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 28:
      Foxtrot B I L LA MENDE ଜ IT'S TOO BAD " PAIGE " DOESN'T RHYME WITH " GODZILLA . ' There once was a girl named Paige ... who was frequently filled with räge .... 3 13 8 One day she decided to be more peaceful and quiet ...Now no one ever says, Paige, act your age...
  2. (idiomatic) It is sad that.
    Too bad you can't come to the party.
  3. (idiomatic, sarcasm) A mockingly sarcastic expression of uncaring or schadenfreude as an answer to someone when upset.

Usage notes

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  • Too bad is used to express sympathy at another's misfortune, or, with an ironic tone, to express pleasure with or disinterest in another's misfortune.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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