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

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

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

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

Examples of bad guy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boys and men are only human, and there are good guys and bad guys. —Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 5 Aug. 2025

And soon, our bad guys are crashing a billionaire’s wedding, infiltrating wrestling matches and shoot off into space. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 2 Aug. 2025

But from page one onward, bad guys are attempting to steal the powerful battery and harm the pair – not to mention Jack’s beloved red truck, dubbed Ruby – to prevent her from sharing her work or achieving her goal. —Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 1 Aug. 2025

Some bad guys operate during daytime hours, but most prefer the cover of darkness. —Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 31 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bad guy

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny