badass
Americanadjective
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(of a person) difficult to deal with; mean-tempered and sometimes violent.
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so tough, assertive, or independent as to be somewhat intimidating.
He is one badass sheriff who stops at nothing to solve a mystery.
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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
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a mean-tempered troublemaker.
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a somewhat intimidating person who is tough, assertive, or independent.
She’s a corporate badass who knows her worth.
noun
adjective
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tough or aggressive
a badass rock band
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excellent
a real badass watch
Etymology
Origin of badass
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The University of Cambridge graduate proclaimed to all young girls watching on BBC TV: "You can be an academic badass and a track goddess."
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
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
The point being that I should not expect to be a badass street officer on Day 1.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026
“Make a movie where he is an absolute badass but also has some heart.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
Before I met her here at Maldonado’s, I only knew her as the neighboring school district’s badass hockey star who would periodically get mentioned in small-town gossip.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
