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
As a coach sometimes you have to be the bad guy.—Ed Jovanovski, quoted in Sports Illustrated
Ed Jovanovski, quoted in Sports IllustratedParenting 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
When are magistrates going to keep bad guys behind bars?
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
One set of bad guys goes, and another set marches in.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Hello, this team had a plane land in freezing temperatures, chased down a bad guy connected to Voight’s (Jason Beghe) past, reunited Upstead, and managed to keep characters alive from all three shows under quarantine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
The show’s perspective that sometimes what separates a bad guy from a good guy is the empathy of the observer, is intriguing, but somewhat an exercise.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bad guy
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Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
One set of bad guys goes, and another set marches in.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Hello, this team had a plane land in freezing temperatures, chased down a bad guy connected to Voight’s (Jason Beghe) past, reunited Upstead, and managed to keep characters alive from all three shows under quarantine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
The show’s perspective that sometimes what separates a bad guy from a good guy is the empathy of the observer, is intriguing, but somewhat an exercise.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
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 14 Mar. 2026.
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