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
Carl HiaasenExamples of bad seed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Not a bad seed in the bunch.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
By comparison to Aegon’s apathy, Joffrey was clearly power-hungry and reveled in being murderous and sadistic — a seemingly bad seed from the outset.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2022
Despite making it to the league championship for the fifth straight year, the Astros are still MLB’s bad seed following 2019’s cheating scandal.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2021
The bad seeds at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, are more elusive.
—Andy Kessler, WSJ, 15 July 2018
Goode warned me before the session that this workshop is a sacred space, where young people don’t have to feel like bad seeds or criminals, or be treated like a spectacle.
—Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times, 12 Apr. 2019
Still, some egg donation agencies caution that a few bad seeds have ruined it for everyone, and that many donors do have a positive experience.
—Andrea Stanley, Redbook, 19 Oct. 2017
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.
John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
Brooklyn Melody James has sown some bad seeds in life.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024
Not a bad seed in the bunch.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
By comparison to Aegon’s apathy, Joffrey was clearly power-hungry and reveled in being murderous and sadistic — a seemingly bad seed from the outset.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2022
Despite making it to the league championship for the fifth straight year, the Astros are still MLB’s bad seed following 2019’s cheating scandal.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2021
The bad seeds at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, are more elusive.
—Andy Kessler, WSJ, 15 July 2018
Goode warned me before the session that this workshop is a sacred space, where young people don’t have to feel like bad seeds or criminals, or be treated like a spectacle.
—Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times, 12 Apr. 2019
Still, some egg donation agencies caution that a few bad seeds have ruined it for everyone, and that many donors do have a positive experience.
—Andrea Stanley, Redbook, 19 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Bad seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20seed. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share