badass
Americanadjective
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(of a person) difficult to deal with; mean-tempered and sometimes violent.
-
so tough, assertive, or independent as to be somewhat intimidating.
He is one badass sheriff who stops at nothing to solve a mystery.
-
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
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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.
See Examples For:
Now, he has to contend with replacing the memories of the other Asa with the reality of this badass sibling and accepting that he still may never see his parents ever again.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Just for a moment, I wanted to join the badass gang that made subversive movies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
"Not because I'm lying about anything, but because I'm a badass," she added.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
The point being that I should not expect to be a badass street officer on Day 1.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
“Wasn’t it your foster mom who swooped in with the badass rescue?”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Every single one of those girls, they’re badasses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025
“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
Who better to portray godlike aliens, aerial crime-stoppers and lethally elegant badasses than dancers?
From Washington Post ● Jan. 8, 2020
And of course, the kids—some adorable, and some badasses.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
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.
