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Synonyms

baddie

American  
[bad-ee] / ˈbæd i /
Or baddy

noun

  • baddies
    plural
  1. a villainous or criminal person.

  2. Slang. a person who is perceived as attractive and self-assured, especially a woman.


baddie British  
/ ˈbædɪ /

noun

  1. a bad character in a story, film, etc, esp an opponent of the hero

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of baddie

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; bad 1 + -ie


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:

Through her, Maddy personified a new kind of Latina baddie — one who defied constraints, and carried herself with a confidence that asked the rest of the world to meet her on her terms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

But the movie needs him to be the baddie, so he reverts to evildoing for no apparent reason.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

The sleepy town of Hawkins is under quarantine as the show’s heroes search for a way to find and vanquish the baddie Vecna.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025

"We have all the brilliant classic pantomime elements: a beastly baddie, a heroic heroine, amazing dance routines and side-splitting comedy," said Ms Wood.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025

Near the start there’s a scene where Clint Eastwood doesn't know if he has a bullet left in his gun to shoot the baddie.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Perhaps Mitchell and Webb's best known sketch, which sees them both dressed as Nazis while begging the question: "are we the baddies?"

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Presiding over the baddies, Jared Leto’s blue-skinned, caped, literally boneheaded man-demon Skeletor is meant to be the fiercest of antagonists, but even his own henchmen find his signature evil cackle to be a bit laughable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

In the minds of some retrograde dweebs, representing these baddies with a woman who could play Barbie was sacrilege.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

What’s it going to take for these militarized Earthlings to realize they’re the baddies?

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025

And now we stood here, fake-smoking like the baddest of the baddies.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

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