bad actor
noun
plural bad actors
: a person, group, country, etc. who purposely and usually repeatedly engages in very bad behavior (such as committing crimes or causing harm to others)
Giving users a way to prove that they're being harassed with, say, a screenshot or some other form of authentication could help Twitter catch bad actors, even after they've covered their tracks.—
Issie Lapowsky
Issie LapowskyA perennial diplomatic bad actor, North Korea has already rattled its sabers at the opening of the Obama administration.—Alex Kingsbury
Alex Kingsbury"We've got to break away from the notion," as the U.A.W.'s [United Auto Workers] director of public relations, Peter G. Laarman, puts it, "that labor is a 'bad actor' in the economy. …"—Harry Stein
Harry Stein
also
: something that causes trouble, danger, or a problem
The bad actor in male pattern hair loss is DHT, a metabolic product of testosterone. —Jane E. Brody
Jane E. Brody We have special ducts throughout the vapor bath that carry away all the toxic bad actors. —PC Today
PC Today Examples of bad actor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But just as challenging, places of worship have to walk the line between operating as a welcoming communal space as well as one that is safe from bad actors.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
This is a strategy on the part of these bad actors to avoid scrutiny.
—William La Jeunesse, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Federal regulators have acknowledged that bad actors exist, but the CFPB and a House subcommittee found that the credit bureaus’ systems for identifying third-party involvement were overly broad and dismissed legitimate concerns.
—Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
If Crump truly chose his profession to give voice to the voiceless, justice for victims should be paramount, not protecting bad actors.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
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Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
This is a strategy on the part of these bad actors to avoid scrutiny.
—William La Jeunesse, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Federal regulators have acknowledged that bad actors exist, but the CFPB and a House subcommittee found that the credit bureaus’ systems for identifying third-party involvement were overly broad and dismissed legitimate concerns.
—Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
If Crump truly chose his profession to give voice to the voiceless, justice for victims should be paramount, not protecting bad actors.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
Cite this Entry
“Bad actor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20actor. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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