bad man
Americannoun
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(sometimes initial capital letters) the devil.
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the bogeyman.
Etymology
Origin of bad man
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
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 judge said Digwa told Nowak he was "a bad man" and took the student's phone.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Ultimately, “In the Days of My Youth” confronts readers with a perplexing question: Can someone be a good father but a bad man?
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
“He was a weak man, but he wasn’t a bad man, and he certainly wasn’t a spy,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
The fantasy that every bad man would get his due, with the violent ones in jail and the manipulative ones made personae non grata, has not played out.
From Slate • May 29, 2024
"Is he the bad man?" the boy had asked, clutching his doll.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
