baddie

A baddie is a confident, good-looking woman with a polished, bold style. Calling someone a baddie is a compliment. There is also an older meaning: a baddie is the villain in a film or story.

What does baddie mean?

In current slang, a baddie is someone who looks put together and knows it: done makeup, sharp brows, nails, a strong outfit, and the attitude to match. It grew out of the long-standing slang use of “bad” to mean attractive or impressive, and spread widely through Instagram and TikTok in the 2010s.

There is also a whole “baddie” aesthetic online, with its own makeup tutorials and outfit videos, built around a glossy, high-glam look.

How to use it

• “She showed up to brunch looking like a total baddie.”
• “Baddie makeup tutorial: sharp brows, glossy lips, lashes for days.”
• “Not me feeling like a baddie because I finally did my nails.”
• “In old westerns, the baddie always wears the black hat.” (the villain meaning)

The villain meaning

Before it was a compliment, “baddie” was simply an informal word for a bad guy, and that use is still very common, especially in British English and in talk about films. Context almost always makes it clear which one someone means.

Related terms

• slay queen: a woman who looks or performs amazingly
• snatched: looking flawless
• it girl: the person everyone wants to look like right now
• thirst trap: a photo posted to get attention
• main character: acting like the star of your own story