bad seed

noun

chiefly US
: a person who is dishonest, evil, or unprincipled by nature : an innately bad person
"Dad wants my brother to come back and live with us again, but Lonna says no way, José, he's a bad seed. … " Carl Hiaasen

Examples of bad seed in a Sentence

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.
By not planting an excess of bad seeds (think lousy hires, excessively optimistic investment in new initiatives, or both) during the good times, those who populate the actual economy mitigate the bad times. John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 Brooklyn Melody James has sown some bad seeds in life. Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad seed was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near bad seed

Cite this Entry

“Bad seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20seed. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

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