Meaning & use
bearer of bad news
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The person whose job or bad luck it is to tell someone about something upsetting that has happened.
Grammar: A noun phrase, usually with an or the: I hate being the bearer of bad news.
Patterns
- be the bearer of bad news
- I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the flight has been canceled.
Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news at a family gathering.
The nurse was the bearer of bad news, and she spoke gently.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
A person who is blamed or disliked simply because they delivered unwelcome news, even though they did not cause it.
Grammar: Often linked to the idea that the messenger gets blamed.
Patterns
- blame the bearer of bad news
- the bearer of bad news gets blamed
Don't shoot the bearer of bad news; I only read the report.
The accountant felt like the bearer of bad news at every budget meeting.
Leaders who punish the bearer of bad news soon stop hearing the truth.
Common combinations
- sorry to be the bearer of bad news
- I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the show is sold out.
- the unlucky bearer of bad news
- The unlucky bearer of bad news got an angry reply.
- play the bearer of bad news
- Someone has to play the bearer of bad news to the team.
- hate being the bearer of bad news
- I hate being the bearer of bad news, especially on a Friday.
- reluctant bearer of bad news
- As a reluctant bearer of bad news, she chose her words carefully.
Synonyms and how they differ
- messenger
- Messenger is a neutral word for someone who carries any message, while bearer of bad news specifies that the message is unwelcome.
- harbinger
- A harbinger is a sign that something bad is coming, not a person who announces it in words.
- herald
- A herald announces important news, good or bad, and sounds more formal and old-fashioned.
- bringer of bad tidings
- This is a more literary version of the same idea and sounds dramatic in ordinary speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bearer of bad news or barer?
bearer of bad news vs barer
Barer sounds the same as bearer but is the comparative of bare, meaning more empty or more uncovered; a bearer is someone who carries something.
Practice
The doctor began, 'I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news.' What will she probably say next?
Choose one answer.
The phrase warns that the next piece of news will be unwelcome. The other options are all positive or neutral and would not follow it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bearer of bad news”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.