1
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: ready to cause or get into trouble : mean
pretending to be a badass gunslinger—
L. L. King
L. L. King2
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: of formidable strength or skill
such a badass guitar player—N'Gai Croal
N'Gai Croal
chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite
: a person who is badass
Examples of badass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
And Nicky turns from being a hot mess into the most loyal, badass, solid sister.
—Deadline, 4 June 2025
After all, hiking a long trail is about having a badass adventure, not trudging nose-to-the-proverbial-grindstone for months on end.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside Online, 31 May 2025
Another local act, Maggie Rose, who recently earned a Grammy nomination for her album No One Gets Out Alive, is also on the bill, along with the Heavy Heavy, American Aquarium, Alabama country badass Taylor Hunnicutt, Eddie 9V, Angel White, and Verygently.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Hilson, who played the young Beth in This Is Us flashbacks, is suitably badass as someone whose race, gender, age, and size keep forcing establishment white guys to underestimate her.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
That was funny to find: how to be badass but run at movie speed.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Entertainment Weekly tracked down the galaxy’s biggest badass and spoke to Dulau about Kleya’s finest moment so far.
—EW.com, 5 May 2025
But Thandiwe Newton is so memorable as Val in Solo because her aviator-style coat with its white fur lining is such a perfect fit and so effectively establishes her as a capable badass who just happens to be serving face.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Secondly, having our warships named after civil rights (as opposed to political or military) leaders is badass and cool.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
And Nicky turns from being a hot mess into the most loyal, badass, solid sister.
—Deadline, 4 June 2025
After all, hiking a long trail is about having a badass adventure, not trudging nose-to-the-proverbial-grindstone for months on end.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside Online, 31 May 2025
Another local act, Maggie Rose, who recently earned a Grammy nomination for her album No One Gets Out Alive, is also on the bill, along with the Heavy Heavy, American Aquarium, Alabama country badass Taylor Hunnicutt, Eddie 9V, Angel White, and Verygently.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Hilson, who played the young Beth in This Is Us flashbacks, is suitably badass as someone whose race, gender, age, and size keep forcing establishment white guys to underestimate her.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
That was funny to find: how to be badass but run at movie speed.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Entertainment Weekly tracked down the galaxy’s biggest badass and spoke to Dulau about Kleya’s finest moment so far.
—EW.com, 5 May 2025
But Thandiwe Newton is so memorable as Val in Solo because her aviator-style coat with its white fur lining is such a perfect fit and so effectively establishes her as a capable badass who just happens to be serving face.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badass. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share