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

And the big bad wolf of the Premier League may soon blow their Etihad house, down via those never-ending 115 charges. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026

Thanks to the big bad bill, ICE has $45 billion to spend on expanding detention centers! —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026

Marvel also canceled plans for his Kang character to serve as the big bad in upcoming projects. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026

As a director, Coogler wove all these elements and characters together, not to mention the film’s big bad —the Devil in possession of an Irish rogue (Jack O’Connell) who hunts after the teen character Sammie (Miles Caton). —Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 20 Feb. 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