mauvaises

Mauvaises is the feminine plural form of the French adjective mauvais, meaning “bad” or “evil” when modifying feminine plural nouns. It is used to describe negative qualities, conditions, or actions associated with feminine plural nouns, and it appears in a wide range of expressions such as mauvaises habitudes (bad habits), mauvaises nouvelles (bad news), mauvaises idées (bad ideas), and mauvaises conditions (bad conditions). As an attributive adjective, mauvaises typically precedes the noun it modifies, in line with standard French agreement rules.

Etymology and form: Mauvaises derives from the adjective mauvais, which comes from Latin malus and entered French via Old French. Like other French adjectives, it inflects for gender and number: mauvais (masculine singular), mauvaise (feminine singular), mauvais (masculine plural), mauvaises (feminine plural). The feminine plural form agrees with feminine plural nouns.

Usage notes: Mauvaises is used in neutral or negative contexts to critique quality, behavior, or outcomes. It is common in everyday language and in literature when describing phenomena attributed to femininity or to groups represented by feminine nouns. It contrasts with the masculine forms (mauvais) and with the singular feminine form (mauvaise), which are used with corresponding nouns. Some well-known collocations include mauvaises habitudes, mauvaises nouvelles, mauvaises manières (bad manners), and mauvaises conditions; the concept of “mauvaise foi” (bad faith) employs the feminine singular form rather than mauvaises.

See also: mauvais, mauvaise, mal, French adjectives, gender and number agreement in French.