bad guy
bad guy — noun
1. a character in a book, film, game, or story who works against the hero — the one
a character in a book, film, game, or story who works against the hero — the one the audience hopes will lose in the end.
In the Spider-Man films, the Green Goblin is the bad guy Peter Parker must stop.
the bad guy + proper name of fictional villain
My little brother always cheers for the bad guy when we watch cartoons together.
Feng dressed up as the bad guy Darth Vader for the school costume party.
The bad guy in that game can turn invisible, making him very hard to beat.
Abigail writes stories where the bad guy turns out to be the hero's old friend.
- villain
more formal and carries stronger moral disapproval
- antagonist
a neutral literary term; unlike 'bad guy', it does not always suggest evil
- baddie
British informal, identical in meaning to 'bad guy'
文法句型
the bad guy
a bad guy
2. a person who breaks the law or does things that are illegal, especially when tal
a person who breaks the law or does things that are illegal, especially when talking casually rather than in official language.
The police asked Rodrigo to identify the bad guy from a set of photos.
identify the bad guy — informal for suspect identification
Cyrus saw a bad guy steal a phone on the train and called the police.
In the courtroom, the bad guy kept his head down and refused to answer questions.
The news said the bad guy had broken into three houses on Maple Street.
Amani's mum said to run if a bad guy ever tried to grab her bag.
- criminal
more formal; used in legal and news contexts
- lawbreaker
emphasises the act of breaking rules rather than moral character
- offender
official term, especially for less serious crimes
- law-abiding citizen
a person who follows the law
文法句型
a bad guy
the bad guy
用法筆記
Informal. Use 'criminal', 'offender', or 'suspect' in formal or legal contexts.
常見錯誤
3. a soldier or fighter from the opposing side in a war or battle, used especially
a soldier or fighter from the opposing side in a war or battle, used especially in casual speech, films, and action stories.
The soldiers were told to watch the hills for any sign of the bad guys.
plural 'the bad guys' for enemy forces in a war setting
During the drill, Rohan's squad practised taking out the bad guys with paint rounds.
The general pointed at the map: the bad guys were camped near the river.
Vinícius heard stories from his grandfather about fighting the bad guys in the jungle.
The film showed good guys and bad guys living through the same terrible war.
文法句型
the bad guys
用法筆記
Used in informal military or action-movie talk. In formal discussion use 'enemy forces', 'opposing side', or 'enemy combatants'.
4. the person who gets blamed when something goes wrong, even if the situation is n
the person who gets blamed when something goes wrong, even if the situation is not entirely their fault — people point to them as the cause of a problem.
When the project failed, everyone looked for a bad guy instead of fixing the problem.
look for a bad guy — search for someone to blame
The company needed a bad guy after the accident, and Sivan's team was chosen.
Mathieu became the office bad guy just because he pointed out the mistake first.
After the team lost, the coach made Tuan the bad guy for the whole season.
After the live demo crashed, the whole development team singled Diego out as the bad guy.
- hero
the person praised when things go right
文法句型
the bad guy
look for a bad guy
make someone the bad guy
用法筆記
Often implies the blame is unfair, oversimplified, or convenient rather than accurate. Distinguish from sense 2 (criminal): this sense is about being blamed, not about breaking the law.
5. a person who makes strict or unpopular decisions and treats others harshly, espe
a person who makes strict or unpopular decisions and treats others harshly, especially someone in authority who enforces rules that nobody likes.
Quan's manager plays the bad guy, sending people home for being five minutes late.
play the bad guy — act as the strict enforcer
Reuben had to play the bad guy and cancel his daughter's weekend trip.
The bad guy at the airport made Amani throw away her favourite bottle of water.
Nobody wants to be the bad guy who cancels the team lunch over a budget cut.
Feng's sister is the bad guy who makes sure he finishes his homework before playing.
- enforcer
more formal; focuses on the act of making sure rules are followed
- disciplinarian
formal; someone who believes in strict discipline
- taskmaster
someone who gives hard work and expects it to be done perfectly
- pushover
a person who is easy to persuade and rarely says no
- soft touch
someone who is kind and lenient, the opposite of a strict enforcer
文法句型
play the bad guy
be the bad guy
用法筆記
Often appears as 'play the bad guy' or 'be the bad guy'. This sense is about social roles — the person is not evil or criminal, just the one who says no.