bad apple

noun

plural bad apples

: someone who creates problems or causes trouble for others

They'll look for telltale signs that your broker's a bad apple: too much trading … or investments that are clearly too risky for someone like you.

—Daniel McGinn

often, specifically : a member of a group whose behavior reflects poorly on or negatively affects or influences the remainder of the group

As in many industries, this could well be a case of a few bad apples tarnishing the reputation of the rest.

—Ian Giles

One bad apple in the bunch can destroy the cohesiveness of the team.

—Do-It-Yourself Retailing

… that individual brings down the rest of the team. This is the "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" theory in action.

—Shep Hyken

Most people will be able to recall a situation where the bad mood or negative attitude of a colleague affected their workplace. As the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the whole damn bunch.

—Rebecca Jordan

Examples of bad apple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early on, says the owner, a few bad apples booked but never showed. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024

The modern muzzleloaders proved there isn’t a bad apple in the bunch. —Brad Fenson, Outdoor Life, 1 Nov. 2023

Last month, Malaysian youth used Roblox to organize a digital demonstration to support Palestinians—a sensitive issue where the smallest bad apple can potentially ruin the barrel and spark damaging headlines. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2023

Other crypto companies seem to think that picking out the one bad apple will be good for the rest of the industry. —Emma Roth, The Verge, 4 Nov. 2023

To that end, China has already decided to allow certain bad apples to wind down while supporting around half-a-dozen firms that are commonly regarded as well-run with perks such as foreign currency loans to meet their offshore debt obligations and state guarantees for domestic bonds. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 5 Oct. 2023

To soothe fears in the country, Kelleher has said his management team will screen Credit Suisse’s notoriously freewheeling investment bankers to ensure no bad apples make it through the ongoing integration process. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023

This kind of online behavior turns people away from new interests, which is bad for them but worse for the group that can’t grow because of a few bad apples. —oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023

As the saying goes, one bad apple can spoil the bunch. —Jacques Famy Jr, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above