bad boy

noun

: a person who flouts convention
a literary bad boy

Examples of bad boy in a Sentence

He has become known as the bad boy of the American television industry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The characters fall neatly into shopworn archetypes — strong silent cowboy, too-slick businessman, bad boy with a heart of gold, etc. — and are easy to root for in the sense that none of them are interesting enough to be worth rooting against. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025 Forty years after making the generation-defining teen drama that saw his jock Andrew Clark thrown together in a Saturday detention with popular princess Molly Ringwald, nerd Anthony Michael Hall, bad boy Judd Nelson, and introvert Ally Sheedy, Estevez finally deigned to attend a cast reunion. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Shaking off a rock ‘n’ roll bad boy reputation isn’t easy—just ask Billy Idol. Lily Moayeri, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025 Tom Ford fragrances are known for their bad boy aesthetic, mixed with luxurious elegance. Danielle James, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad boy

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad boy was in 1860

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Cite this Entry

“Bad boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20boy. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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