Skip to main content
badass

badass

64 8.3
Showing strong confidence and toughness that impresses other people
  • adjective
  • /ˈbædˌæs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : duro
  • Everyone agreed that the motorcycle looked badass with its sleek design and matte black finish.
  • look badass
  • a badass attitude
  • pretty badass

And you're still badass, fierce, chasing down your goals.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • This this is a testament to how, like, absolutely badass this fabric is.

  • And you're still badass, fierce, chasing down your goals.

  • But you gotta be badass. You just have to be really good.

  • This is going to be badass if we get it done.

  • I always thought it was kind of badass.

  • That was all right, but this is gonna be badass.

  • It actually looks really badass, this whole look.

  • I like the name; it's succinct and even sounds a little badass, even though it means peace.

    Blog text (12)
  • We like loud, big cars, badass horsepower and guess what?

  • I mean, sure, Kirk was awesome, but Picard was badass and a good commander.

    Blog text (10)

Synonyms

kick-ass
vsbadass
  • Offensive
37 8.4

Very impressive and powerful

focuses more on an intimidating look or confident attitude
big and bad
vsbadass
  • Informal
1 6.8

Very large and so strong that it scares or impresses people

focuses on confident, stylish toughness rather than sheer size or force

Antonyms

235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

15 3.4

Friendly and easy to talk to so people feel comfortable

How Impressive

formidable
133 7.0
intimidating
93 5.3
badass
  • NSFW
64 8.3
impressive
584 3.4
cool
  • Informal
2.2
unremarkable
20 3.5

Surface Forms

badass positive

Morphology

badass = bad + ass (semi-transparent) = bad + ass

The components 'bad' + 'ass' are visible, but the slang sense is idiomatic (positive/admiring toughness) and 'ass' functions as an intensifier, so learners may not predict the exact meaning.

Etymology

Badass comes from joining bad and ass, where bad here means 'fierce' or 'impressive' and ass is a rude word for a person or the 'rear'. So something described as badass looks or acts very tough and confident.