Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"Badass. A word used to describe something as really cool. Dude, did you see when he caught the shield in the trailer, man? Oh yeah, totally. Winter Soldier is so badass."
What it means
Used when plain old cool is not enough and you need something with swagger, bite, and a bit of danger in the aura. You call a person, moment, move, outfit, or scene badass when it feels impressive in that effortlessly tough way. It has been around for ages and still hits because it sounds like respect wearing boots.
Usage examples
"Dude, when Bucky caught the shield in that trailer, the whole room lost it. That was badass as hell, man, even my quiet mate yelled."
"She quit the toxic job on the spot, absolute badass."
"That was a badass guitar solo, the whole crowd went wild."
Where it comes from
American slang where bad does a backflip and means the opposite: tough, formidable, seriously impressive. Stick it next to ass, the all-purpose intensifier, and you get badass, the fearless hard case nobody messes with, or anything cool enough to earn open admiration. A badass move, a badass bike, a proper badass, all said with a grin of respect.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.