bad guy
noun
1
informal
: the villain in a story : baddie
played the bad guy in the movie
2
informal
: someone who is likened to the villain in a story: such as
a
: a criminal
Designed to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys and children …—
Popular Science
Popular Science
b
: a military enemy
… a decision that owes more to parochial conflicts within the Armed Forces than to doing the best job of surveilling bad guys.—Stuart F. Brown
Stuart F. Brown
c
: someone who deserves to be blamed or criticized for causing a bad situation
Meanwhile, it's the environmentalists who are now portrayed as the bad guys, hiring lots of lawyers, consorting with congressmen …—Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman
d
: a person who treats other people harshly or strictly : a person who says or does unpopular things
Parenting isn't just about having beautiful kids and being busy. It's about dealing with problems, and your success as a parent depends on your willingness to be the bad guy. If you aren't willing to be the bad guy, you shouldn't be a parent.—Roy Bragg
Roy BraggExamples of bad guy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, Slaughter makes Hogan’s offense look like a million bucks and by choosing to bleed a little bit, Hogan makes Slaughter look like a desperate, rabid bad guy.
38.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
The real fun is seeing how a Cena run as a bad guy champion would be over the coming months.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025
No one needs to be bad guy for a situation to be healed.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Moving from left to right while fighting bad guys has never been cooler or more in style.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad guy
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Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
The real fun is seeing how a Cena run as a bad guy champion would be over the coming months.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025
No one needs to be bad guy for a situation to be healed.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Moving from left to right while fighting bad guys has never been cooler or more in style.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad guy
Cite this Entry
“Bad guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20guy. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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