badass

American  

[bad-as] / ˈbædˌæs /

adjective

1. (of a person) difficult to deal with; mean-tempered and sometimes violent.

2. so tough, assertive, or independent as to be somewhat intimidating.

   He is one badass sheriff who stops at nothing to solve a mystery.

3. awesome or impressive; worthy of admiration: a bluegrass band with a badass fiddler.

   badass American sports cars;

   a bluegrass band with a badass fiddler.

---

noun

• badasses
  plural

1. a mean-tempered troublemaker.

2. a somewhat intimidating person who is tough, assertive, or independent.

   She’s a corporate badass who knows her worth.

badass British  

/ ˈbædˌæs /

noun

1. a tough or aggressive person

   the meanest badass in town

---

adjective

1. tough or aggressive

   a badass rock band

2. excellent

   a real badass watch

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• badasses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of badass

First recorded in 1950–55; bad ¹ + ass ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

badass badasses

It’s 1981, and Quatro, a pint-sized, leather-clad, four-string-plucking badass, may be the first to feature lipstick in a music video.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026

Just for a moment, I wanted to join the badass gang that made subversive movies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

And she makes decisions that we don’t agree with, but I think one thing we all can agree on is that she’s a badass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

"Not because I'm lying about anything, but because I'm a badass," she added.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

So, what I'm trying to say is that there's an extremely badass carnival in the parking lot of Perimeter Mall today, and it's apparently open until nine.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

“That’s the thing about being a Raider, they’re badasses on the field, but they’re kittens off the field.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2022

They’re all badasses and we’re each other’s listening board.

From New York Times ● May 20, 2022

Forget the folks setting personal bests on the treadmills at Orangetheory; these women are the real badasses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2020

And to keep lighting that for generations to come, mis hijas y mis nietas, until the time all Latinas and indigenous women are seen for the queens and badasses we've always known we are.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2020

And of course, the kids—some adorable, and some badasses.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds