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act badly

[/ækt ˈbædli/]
verb phrase
comportar-se mal
1. to behave in an inappropriate, unethical, or unacceptable manner
He acted badly during the meeting and offended several colleagues.
Ele se comportou mal durante a reunião e ofendeu vários colegas.
2. to perform poorly or inadequately in a role or situation
The actor acted badly in that scene and had to do multiple takes.
O ator atuou mal naquela cena e teve que fazer várias tentativas.
3. to misbehave or conduct oneself improperly
The children acted badly and were sent to their rooms.
As crianças se comportaram mal e foram mandadas para seus quartos.
NYC Slang
act up / mess up / be out of line
Synonyms
misbehaveact improperlybehave poorlyconduct oneself badlyperform poorly
Antonyms
act wellbehave properlyconduct oneself wellperform excellently

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
comportar-se mal / agir mal
most common usage in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
se comportar errado / agir errado
colloquial variation
São Paulo
comportar-se inadequadamente
more formal usage
Portugal
comportar-se mal / agir de forma inadequada
standard European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

be on one's worst behavior
step out of line
act the fool
show one's true colors
let the side down
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