slang
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude
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Recent Examples of bad
Adjective
But others are, at best, psychological signposts and, at worst, internet inside-jokes.—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025 In your garden, stink bugs can be a real bad problem...—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 28 June 2025
Adverb
Ignoring one of them can lead you to bad-looking maps no one would prefer.—J. Richard Gott, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2021 The researchers think that by expelling their bad-tasting innards when fish are nibbling nearby, sea squirts may drive the fish away.—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2015
Noun
In the Avenge the Earth storyline, those big bads included Apocalypse, the first mutant, and, of course, Kang the Conqueror.—Joe George, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023 So what was the rationale behind introducing our new big bad in the exact opposite way?—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2023
Adjective
Wen: Extreme heat can affect everyone, but there are three groups of people who are the most susceptible to its ill effects.—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 19 June 2025 Any lingering ill feelings Marchand had with Florida players (or vice versa) were quickly buried.—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025
Adverb
Another, a soldier, described a military communications battalion in which more than half the unit – about 400 soldiers – fell ill by late 2021.—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025 The listeria strain tied to the outbreak has been detected in people who fell ill between July 24 and May 10, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.—Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
Noun
In the early 1900s, journalism, the muckrakers, became highly influential, raising awareness about many social ills, including child labor, unsafe working conditions and unsanitary food processing.—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025 But the strikes of 2023 that delayed releases slated for 2024 were never the only ills plaguing the entertainment sector.—Judy Berman, Time, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad
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