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
-
excellent
a real badass watch
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
On a June afternoon, I googled “Brooklyn dog rescue looking for volunteers” and wound up on the Badass Animal Rescue website.
From Slate • Sep. 4, 2025
The 400-plus page “Matriarch” charts her poor upbringing in Galveston, Texas, under the self-ascribed nickname Badass Tenie B; dabbling in singing, sewing and beauty; and her tumultuous marriage to Mathew Knowles.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2025
Bev Logan, who set up her online women's sportswear business Badass Mother Runners during the first Covid lockdown, said sales had been strong until they "nosedived" in April.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2022
Matching containers look great for Instagram and Pinterest, but Katrina Green, founder of Badass Homelife in Sacramento, wants to relieve would-be organizers of the pressure of uniformity.
From Washington Post • Aug. 14, 2020
As I walk through the halls, there’s no telling what Badass British Finch might do.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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.
