Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A mean-tempered or belligerent person.
  • adjective Mean; belligerent.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, slang A mean or belligerent person; a person with extreme attitudes, behavior or appearance.
  • adjective US, slang Having extreme appearance, attitude, or behavior that is considered admirable.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bad +‎ ass

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word badass.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Shaft, Conan, Gandalf, Clint Eastwood, etc.

    October 20, 2007

  • But noticeably not Sweet Sweetback, who is baadasssss. (See bad-ass.)

    October 20, 2007

  • How can you forget Chuck Norris?

    October 20, 2007