Badass
/ˈbædæs/
adjectiveBeginnerCommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
Remarkably competent, impressive, or exciting.
/ˈbædæs/
adjectivepositiveBeginner
General
Extremely impressive or skilled; exceptionally cool or awesome.
His new car is badass!
💡 Simply: Really cool or awesome.
More Examples
2
She's a badass programmer.
How It's Used
Informal Conversation
"That guitar solo was badass!"
Youth Culture
"Her skateboarding skills are totally badass."
A blend of "bad" and "ass." Emerged in the late 20th century, initially within counter-cultural and rebellious youth subcultures.
Initially used as slang, its usage has broadened to include more mainstream contexts, though it retains its informal tone.
Memory tip
Think 'bad' in the sense of 'wickedly good,' and 'ass' as an intensifier.
Practice
Base: bad
badassebadasssbad-ass
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written