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

There would be no big bad villain whose success makes the sport seem stacked against your favorite team. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

All of them are troubled by increasing animosity from their many political adversaries, especially because the series’ big bad, an immortal named Koschei the Deathless, seems to be stirring in mysterious ways. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026

The campaign teaches the kiddos that mayors in purple tails and top hats are not always the big bads to the animal kingdom. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026

The big bad picture White, the Whittier professor, sees an even bigger threat looming with surveillance pricing. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

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