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.
Ellison kept fighting, becoming a bigger, richer, older bad boy. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2026 Travis Kalanick, the Uber co-founder and one-time Silicon Valley bad boy, has relocated to Austin. Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026 Wahlberg was a 20-something bad boy who took a more meat-and-potatoes (or Peter Berg and Peter Berg) route to popular success. Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026 Quaid said The Parent Trap started a new chapter of his career after spending much of the 1990s playing bad boys. Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bad boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20boy. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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