1
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: ready to cause or get into trouble : mean
a badass criminal who should be put away for life
… casting Henry Fonda against type as a remorseless badass gunslinger …—
Laurence Phelan
Laurence Phelan2
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: of formidable strength or skill
… such a badass guitar player …—N'Gai Croal
N'Gai Croal
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: a person who is badass
Examples of badass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
And selfishly, getting to be the badass final girl, covered in blood and kicking ass, is a dream role.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
For us, the badass women can be in front of the camera, behind the camera, the subject of the story.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Here’s a lesson in how to take a car from badass to bad taste.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025
In the most iconic role of his storied career, Wesley Snipes plays Blade, a badass vampire hunter who also happens to be half-vampire himself.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Jane was a genius and a badass communicator on behalf of species and habitats that lack a voice.
—Ellie Goulding, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025
Habana’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, which was presented in partnership with Pornhub, uses his trademark metalwork jewelry into 18 edgy looks that are bold and simply badass.
—Nadja Sayej, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This novel rocks just as hard as its heroine, Opal, a badass Black singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s made in the image of icons like Grace Jones and Betty Davis.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025
There’s a feather boa, a few badass leather coats, and ?uestlove’s mighty Afro.
—Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
They are all are elevated this season; very badass in their quests.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
This novel rocks just as hard as its heroine, Opal, a badass Black singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s made in the image of icons like Grace Jones and Betty Davis.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
The actress, born Margaret Denise Quigley, has played badass leading women throughout her career, including the titular rogue assassin in the CW’s Nikita and FBI Agent Hannah Wells in the ABC/Netflix political drama, Designated Survivor, to name a few.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
And each approached the figure of the gun-toting, knife-wielding badass from her own point of view, creating archetypes that are still in use today.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
The blood and visceral imagery plays an important role of not only setting the oppressive tone, but also in establishing your character as an absolute badass.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Nobody was more badass to crank up on our speakers than the one and only prince of darkness - Ozzy Osborne!
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
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Adjective
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi also tackles two characters with commanding rage and badass physicality.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
And selfishly, getting to be the badass final girl, covered in blood and kicking ass, is a dream role.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
For us, the badass women can be in front of the camera, behind the camera, the subject of the story.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Here’s a lesson in how to take a car from badass to bad taste.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025
In the most iconic role of his storied career, Wesley Snipes plays Blade, a badass vampire hunter who also happens to be half-vampire himself.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Jane was a genius and a badass communicator on behalf of species and habitats that lack a voice.
—Ellie Goulding, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025
Habana’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, which was presented in partnership with Pornhub, uses his trademark metalwork jewelry into 18 edgy looks that are bold and simply badass.
—Nadja Sayej, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This novel rocks just as hard as its heroine, Opal, a badass Black singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s made in the image of icons like Grace Jones and Betty Davis.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
This episode firmly establishes her as Curb's resident badass, complete with her own spaghetti Western theme music.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025
There’s a feather boa, a few badass leather coats, and ?uestlove’s mighty Afro.
—Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
They are all are elevated this season; very badass in their quests.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
This novel rocks just as hard as its heroine, Opal, a badass Black singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s made in the image of icons like Grace Jones and Betty Davis.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
The actress, born Margaret Denise Quigley, has played badass leading women throughout her career, including the titular rogue assassin in the CW’s Nikita and FBI Agent Hannah Wells in the ABC/Netflix political drama, Designated Survivor, to name a few.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
And each approached the figure of the gun-toting, knife-wielding badass from her own point of view, creating archetypes that are still in use today.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
The blood and visceral imagery plays an important role of not only setting the oppressive tone, but also in establishing your character as an absolute badass.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Nobody was more badass to crank up on our speakers than the one and only prince of darkness - Ozzy Osborne!
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badass. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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