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

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

Walmart had become the poster child of the big bad corporation that underpaid its workers, squeezed its suppliers and tore at the fabric of small-town America. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026

Just not the Big Bad fantasy Dark Lord. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

In the modern landscape, there could be something enjoyably cathartic about letting a chat bot be the big bad our hero has to take down. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 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