bad name

plural bad names

1. Lack of reverence or esteem; poor reputation.

   Near-synonym: ignominy

   1 more example

   The people of the southeasterly clusters—concerning whom, however, but little is known—have a bad name as cannibals; and for that reason their hospitality is seldom taxed by the mariner.

   1847 March 30, Herman Melville, Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas; […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: ignominy

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bad, name.

   Angina is a bad name to give to your child.