big bad

noun

variants or Big Bad

plural big bads or Big Bads

: a major villain or antagonist (as in a movie, show, or game)

When Ursula, the story's big bad, took to the screen, I would run behind the entertainment center and cover my eyes, a fact my mom loves to remind me about whenever she gets the chance.

—KT Hawbaker

As the show [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] aged, the Big Bads became more dangerous and the lessons more adult, but Buffy never gave up …

—Kaitlin Thomas

The Big Bad this time around is the wind mage Vaati, who has captured Zelda, and it's your quest to defeat him and prevent the unholy union of princess and evil eyeball-blob-thing.

—Tony Ponce

Examples of big bad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Max comes across as one of the likeliest characters to show up for a final stand against the big bad. —Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025

There's also Jamie Campbell Bower, who made a splash in season 4 as the enigmatic big bad Vecna. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025

The plan that our big bad, Vecna, revealed to Nancy Wheeler at the end of season four foretold the death and destruction for Hawkins (and her family, specifically). —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025

But apparently, the big bad Muslim conspiracy missed me. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for big bad

• comrade
• dryad
• dyad
• forbad
• grandad
• granddad
• keypad
• nomad
• notepad
• postgrad
• sinbad
• tetrad