badass

1 of 2

adjective

bad·​ass ˈbad-ˌas How to pronounce badass (audio)
1
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite : ready to cause or get into trouble : mean
pretending to be a badass gunslingerL. L. King
2
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite : of formidable strength or skill
such a badass guitar playerN'Gai Croal

badass

2 of 2

noun

chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: a person who is badass

Examples of badass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Garcia continues the procedure — a very badass move, objectively speaking — but kicks Trinity off the job and instead has Whitaker take over. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025 The Blackpink alum arrived at Chanel's haute-couture spring-summer 2025 show during Paris Fashion Week looking like nothing short of a beautiful, badass bird. Marci Robin, Allure, 28 Jan. 2025 Overseeing the proceedings is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who might just be the most badass of the bunch. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2024 And to lie to the audience like, Peter’s this badass that doesn’t get hurt? Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025 In turn, feeling like a badass on the rower may just imbue you with confidence that spills over into other areas of your life, like finally asking for the promotion at work or drumming up the nerve to invite that cute barista on a date. Christa Sgobba, SELF, 3 Jan. 2025 Claressa is so inspiring, such a badass, and nobody knew her story. Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 What was director Don Siegel and writers Harry and R.M. Fink’s motivation in making a movie that shows a badass and mythical character solving the flaws of a current system? Jude Reid, IndieWire, 26 Dec. 2024 Sort of like Shadows of the Damned or No More Heroes, the main character is pretty badass this time around too. Justin Koreis, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of badass was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near badass

Cite this Entry

“Badass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badass. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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