baddie

noun

bad·​die ˈba-dē 

variants or less commonly baddy

plural baddies

1

informal : a bad person or thing

And that coaching pick. I admit, lots of NBA [=National Basketball Association] people think it's a goodie. Well, I think it's a baddie.

—Tom Kertes

These cells are used to winning—they take down baddies such as viruses and bacteria on a daily basis.

—Daniel Strain

especially : the villain in a story : bad guy

… Darth Maul, the stylishly malevolent baddie whose toys are flying off shelves.

—Newsweek

… a mustachioed baddy fighting a plucky heroine, both of them kicking and whirling …

—Louisa Lim

2

slang : a person (especially a woman) who is confident, stylish, and attractive

felt/looked/dressed like a baddie

If you wear your style with pride, you are a baddie.

—Gerrita Bikker

… every hot baddie stomping down the sidewalk to the beat of her own drum …

—Kristy Puchko

… a great layering piece that also adds … the ultimate baddie vibes to any look.

—Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien

Note: Usage of this sense originated in African American English and has since become widespread.

Did you know?

Slang Meaning of Baddie

Baddie has a slang meaning, referring to someone (usually a woman) who is confident, stylish, and attractive. Learn more >

Synonyms of baddie

• villain
• brute
• monster

Examples of baddie in a Sentence

the actor has never been cast as a hero, but he's played every kind of baddie imaginable

Recent Examples on the Web

To usher in spring, channel your inner nature girl while embracing your nail-baddie aesthetic with these cat-eye koi ponds. —Christina Perrier, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026

This brilliantly acerbic novel is set up as a millennial comedy of manners, but when Remy and Alicia head to the Hamptons for a surf weekend with Instagram-baddie Jen, a pair of glowing eyes in the bushes is just the first indication that things are very, very wrong. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026

Her findings not only put her on the radar of the season's baddies, but lead her to Peter. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026

The concoction has been dubbed Chinese baddie tea, a nod to its ties to traditional Chinese medicine. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

bad entry 1 + -ie

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for baddie

• addy
• caddie
• caddy
• daddy
• gaddi
• laddie
• paddy
• granddaddy