bad guy
noun
1
informal
: the villain in a story : baddie
played the bad guy in the movie
2
informal
: someone who is likened to the villain in a story: such as
a
: a criminal
Designed to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys and children …—
Popular Science
Popular Science
b
: a military enemy
… a decision that owes more to parochial conflicts within the Armed Forces than to doing the best job of surveilling bad guys.—Stuart F. Brown
Stuart F. Brown
c
: someone who deserves to be blamed or criticized for causing a bad situation
Meanwhile, it's the environmentalists who are now portrayed as the bad guys, hiring lots of lawyers, consorting with congressmen …—Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman
d
: a person who treats other people harshly or strictly : a person who says or does unpopular things
Parenting isn't just about having beautiful kids and being busy. It's about dealing with problems, and your success as a parent depends on your willingness to be the bad guy. If you aren't willing to be the bad guy, you shouldn't be a parent.—Roy Bragg
Roy BraggExamples of bad guy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bag has lots of money in it, the stranger is a violent gangster and Mady is soon on the run himself with a whole gang of bad guys after him.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
Many of the action showpieces revolve not around Fok, but rather MC Cheung’s young and agile cop Lee, who came up under the inspector’s mentorship and continues to take down bad guys the old-fashioned way.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
The actor and martial arts master plays Caine, a blind assassin who uses advanced hearing to beat-up bad guys in creative and brutal ways, as well as - what else? - a cane.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
In their eyes, letting the thief get away with it is better than risking the reputation of the global financial system by letting everyone know there’s a bad guy to look for.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Jan. 2025
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Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
Many of the action showpieces revolve not around Fok, but rather MC Cheung’s young and agile cop Lee, who came up under the inspector’s mentorship and continues to take down bad guys the old-fashioned way.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
The actor and martial arts master plays Caine, a blind assassin who uses advanced hearing to beat-up bad guys in creative and brutal ways, as well as - what else? - a cane.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
In their eyes, letting the thief get away with it is better than risking the reputation of the global financial system by letting everyone know there’s a bad guy to look for.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bad guy
Dictionary Entries Near bad guy
Cite this Entry
“Bad guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20guy. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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