bad faith
Americannoun
noun
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intention to deceive; treachery or dishonesty (esp in the phrase in bad faith )
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Also called: mauvaise foi. (in the philosophy of the 20th-century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre) self-deception, as when an agent regards his actions as conditioned by circumstances or conventions in order to evade his own responsibility for choosing them freely
Other Word Forms
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.
“Plaintiff’s false, malicious, and bad faith statements have wreaked havoc on Ms. Hajdini’s life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
In granting the motion, however, Ohta said he found no objective evidence that the district attorney’s office was dismissing the case in bad faith.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Percival also warned that alerting lawmakers would be seen as “in bad faith and bordering on material misrepresentation to Congress.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
"I must also stress that some tweets have been completely misunderstood, seemingly in bad faith," he added.
From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025
Already in there you can see the consciousness of how damaging he regards the appearance of bad faith, and how penetrat- ingly the orator is exposed to his audience.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
