“Bad news travels fast”: meaning, origin and examples
What it means
The phrase means that people tend to spread negative news quickly, often more so than positive news.
Tone Cautionary
Where it comes from
The phrase is a proverbial expression, with variations found in multiple languages throughout history, indicating a long-standing observation about human behavior.
Examples
- As soon as the factory announced its closure, everyone in town knew within the hour—bad news travels fast.
- She tried to keep the breakup private, but of course, bad news travels fast, and soon everyone was talking about it.
- Despite the company’s efforts to hide the mistake, bad news travels fast, and their stock prices dropped as a result.
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