bad guy
noun
1
informal : the villain in a story : baddie
played the bad guy in the movie
2
informal : someone who is likened to the villain in a story: such as
a
: a criminal
Designed to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys and children … 
Popular Science
Popular Science b
: a military enemy
… a decision that owes more to parochial conflicts within the Armed Forces than to doing the best job of surveilling bad guys. Stuart F. Brown
Stuart F. Brown c
: someone who deserves to be blamed or criticized for causing a bad situation
Meanwhile, it's the environmentalists who are now portrayed as the bad guys, hiring lots of lawyers, consorting with congressmen … Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman d
: a person who treats other people harshly or strictly : a person who says or does unpopular things
Parenting isn't just about having beautiful kids and being busy. It's about dealing with problems, and your success as a parent depends on your willingness to be the bad guy. If you aren't willing to be the bad guy, you shouldn't be a parent. Roy Bragg
Roy Bragg
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Every story needs a bad guy, though; if this Judas is not the villainous traitor that he has been represented as throughout history, Stückl emphasizes the bloodthirstiness of Caiaphas, the high priest, instead. A.j. Goldmann, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2022 Yes, Beverly Hills Cop opens with a frenetic vehicle chase and closes with Eddie Murphy and his cop friends invading the bad guy’s mansion and just massacring the hell out of them. Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 7 July 2022 Placing the bad guy at the head of the story isn’t an easy task, one that only works when both the writer and actor at hand can find a way to make the character likable enough to keep an audience’s attention through multiple episodes. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 10 June 2022 There was no climax of cinematic heroism in which a lone cop kills the bad guy and saves the day. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 31 May 2022 Living like a real-life Miami Vice bad guy caught up with him. Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 30 July 2022 The bad guy, however, turned into a pretty good horse trainer and even more compelling character for a sport whose real stars cannot speak for themselves. New York Times, 20 May 2022 But at least for now, the bad guy who needs stopping is Percival, whose latest plan involves closing the Riverdale Public Library in order to open a hotel to service the new railway. Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 9 May 2022 In that movie, the old woman in the apartment building is convinced that the bad guy is her son. Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 May 2022 See More
A.j. Goldmann, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2022 Yes, Beverly Hills Cop opens with a frenetic vehicle chase and closes with Eddie Murphy and his cop friends invading the bad guy’s mansion and just massacring the hell out of them. Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 7 July 2022 Placing the bad guy at the head of the story isn’t an easy task, one that only works when both the writer and actor at hand can find a way to make the character likable enough to keep an audience’s attention through multiple episodes. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 10 June 2022 There was no climax of cinematic heroism in which a lone cop kills the bad guy and saves the day. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 31 May 2022 Living like a real-life Miami Vice bad guy caught up with him. Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 30 July 2022 The bad guy, however, turned into a pretty good horse trainer and even more compelling character for a sport whose real stars cannot speak for themselves. New York Times, 20 May 2022 But at least for now, the bad guy who needs stopping is Percival, whose latest plan involves closing the Riverdale Public Library in order to open a hotel to service the new railway. Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 9 May 2022 In that movie, the old woman in the apartment building is convinced that the bad guy is her son. Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1