Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

big bad

/ˌbɪɡ ˈbæd/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.29 in modern English

Syllables: big bad
IPA: /ˌbɪɡ ˈbæd/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A major adversary or antagonist of a piece of fiction.

Example Sentences

"Charlie, now menacingly equipped with a bionic arm, is these days in the service of new pantomime big bad, Poppy Adams, played with lysergic glee by Julianne Moore."

Etymology

The noun was back-formed in 1998 in the episode “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is a nominalization derived from the long-established adjectival pattern within Big Bad Wolf and collocative constructions inspired by it (e.g., I tried to reason with her, but to her I'm just the big bad authority figure who can't be trusted).

Inflected Forms

big bads (plural)

Phrases

big and bad

Frequently Paired Words

big and bad

Questions

How do you pronounce big bad?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌbɪɡ ˈbæd/.
What does big bad mean?: A major adversary or antagonist of a piece of fiction.
Where does big bad come from?: The noun was back-formed in 1998 in the episode “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is a nominalization derived from the long-established adjectival pattern within Big Bad Wolf and collocative constructions inspired by it (e.g., I tried to reason with her, but to her I'm just the big bad authority figure who can't be trusted).

How to pronounce big bad

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “big bad”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌbɪɡ ˈbæd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “big bad”.
Repeat and practice — Say “big bad” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.