bad boy

noun

: a person who flouts convention
a literary bad boy

Examples of bad boy in a Sentence

He has become known as the bad boy of the American television industry.
Recent Examples on the Web There are archetypal good guy and bad boy figures who have been part of her life, whom everyone will transpose onto this material. Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024 And why not run up and down the beach in these bad boys? Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bad boy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bad boy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad boy was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near bad boy

Cite this Entry

“Bad boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20boy. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!