big bad
noun
variants
or Big Bad
plural big bads or Big Bads
: a major villain or antagonist (as in a movie, show, or game)
When Ursula, the story's big bad, took to the screen, I would run behind the entertainment center and cover my eyes, a fact my mom loves to remind me about whenever she gets the chance.—
KT Hawbaker
KT HawbakerAs the show [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] aged, the Big Bads became more dangerous and the lessons more adult, but Buffy never gave up …—Kaitlin Thomas
Kaitlin ThomasThe Big Bad this time around is the wind mage Vaati, who has captured Zelda, and it's your quest to defeat him and prevent the unholy union of princess and evil eyeball-blob-thing.—Tony Ponce
Tony PonceExamples of big bad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And that was long before an annoying anticlimactic introduction, and then dispatching, of a big bad who might as well not be named.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
The following year Marvel announced that he had been cast as Kang, who was being positioned as the big bad of its next series of films and streaming shows.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The actress reinforced her franchise bonafides as fan-favorite Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games (2012) and as the big bad in Power Rangers (2017).
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Angry Birds 2 even has a real zag moment when the pig leader accidentally displays his dating-app thirst traps during a slideshow presentation about taking on the new big bad.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for big bad
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Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
The following year Marvel announced that he had been cast as Kang, who was being positioned as the big bad of its next series of films and streaming shows.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The actress reinforced her franchise bonafides as fan-favorite Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games (2012) and as the big bad in Power Rangers (2017).
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Angry Birds 2 even has a real zag moment when the pig leader accidentally displays his dating-app thirst traps during a slideshow presentation about taking on the new big bad.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for big bad
Cite this Entry
“Big bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20bad. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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