badass

American  

[bad-as] / ˈbædˌæs /

adjective

1. (of a person) difficult to deal with; mean-tempered and sometimes violent.

2. so tough, assertive, or independent as to be somewhat intimidating.

   He is one badass sheriff who stops at nothing to solve a mystery.

3. awesome or impressive; worthy of admiration: a bluegrass band with a badass fiddler.

   badass American sports cars;

   a bluegrass band with a badass fiddler.

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noun

• badasses
  plural

1. a mean-tempered troublemaker.

2. a somewhat intimidating person who is tough, assertive, or independent.

   She’s a corporate badass who knows her worth.

badass British  

/ ˈbædˌæs /

noun

1. a tough or aggressive person

   the meanest badass in town

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adjective

1. tough or aggressive

   a badass rock band

2. excellent

   a real badass watch

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• badasses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of badass

First recorded in 1950–55; bad ¹ + ass ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

badass badasses

The badass riffs in this particular case are courtesy of Roman Morello, the 15-year-old son of our interviewee, who joined his dad’s band when he was 13.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Hathaway can handle anything, from a despondent housewife to a rifle-toting badass, but I’ve never seen her tasked to do both in a film this brisk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

In short, Jarrell-Searcy was a bit of a badass.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

Just for a moment, I wanted to join the badass gang that made subversive movies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

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

“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

“They went through a horror movie,” Due said, before yelling at them, “I love you! You’re kinda badasses, you know?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

And to keep lighting that for generations to come, mis hijas y mis nietas, until the time all Latinas and indigenous women are seen for the queens and badasses we've always known we are.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2020

And of course, the kids—some adorable, and some badasses.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

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