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
But the biggest reveal is that of the series’ big bad, Calypso, who is played by Anthony Carrigan, a breakout favorite of HBO’s Barry for his role as NoHo Hank.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025
The massive big bad dragon known as Red Death also gets notable screen time, in the clip, below.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
That’s difficult, though, when the notorious big bad (Xander Berkeley) always seems to hold all the cards.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
The one star who seems to be having fun is S.J. Suryah as a big bad politician named Mopidevi.
—Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big bad
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Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025
The massive big bad dragon known as Red Death also gets notable screen time, in the clip, below.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
That’s difficult, though, when the notorious big bad (Xander Berkeley) always seems to hold all the cards.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
The one star who seems to be having fun is S.J. Suryah as a big bad politician named Mopidevi.
—Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
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 3 Mar. 2025.
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