1
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: ready to cause or get into trouble : mean
pretending to be a badass gunslinger—
L. L. King
L. L. King2
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: of formidable strength or skill
such a badass guitar player—N'Gai Croal
N'Gai Croal
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: a person who is badass
Examples of badass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Apr. 2025
At first, Bacon’s macho lead role seems like a run-of-the-mill badass: All one-liners, muscles and cool-guy poses.
—William Earl, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
Please help show my baby that other badass women are out there!
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
In both films, Statham’s a normal dude with a badass past, some atrocity happens in his general vicinity, and oh no time to break out the Uzis.
—Rebecca Pahle, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
The same could be said of Fishburne’s character, whose allegiance is more fun to track than his whereabouts, and of Jon Bernthal’s two-scene performance as a badass field agent known as The Bear (lol), who exists to personify the kind of spy movie we’re used to seeing.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
From there, just pop up on your baggiest cargos, a pair of badass combat boots, and maybe an oversized hoodie for a look that feels both hardcore and undeniably cool.
—Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
Marvel at the firework display of disintegrating foes; revel in your might as a pair of badass demon slayers.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
The ’90s were a magical time in the storytelling of badass mothers who would do anything to save their families.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025
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Noun
Rest assured, Dedra is still a total badass on a mission, and Syril is willing to go to (almost) any lengths to advance the Imperial cause.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Apr. 2025
At first, Bacon’s macho lead role seems like a run-of-the-mill badass: All one-liners, muscles and cool-guy poses.
—William Earl, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
Please help show my baby that other badass women are out there!
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
In both films, Statham’s a normal dude with a badass past, some atrocity happens in his general vicinity, and oh no time to break out the Uzis.
—Rebecca Pahle, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
The same could be said of Fishburne’s character, whose allegiance is more fun to track than his whereabouts, and of Jon Bernthal’s two-scene performance as a badass field agent known as The Bear (lol), who exists to personify the kind of spy movie we’re used to seeing.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
From there, just pop up on your baggiest cargos, a pair of badass combat boots, and maybe an oversized hoodie for a look that feels both hardcore and undeniably cool.
—Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
Marvel at the firework display of disintegrating foes; revel in your might as a pair of badass demon slayers.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
The ’90s were a magical time in the storytelling of badass mothers who would do anything to save their families.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badass. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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