bad actor
noun
plural bad actors
: a person, group, country, etc. who purposely and usually repeatedly engages in very bad behavior (such as committing crimes or causing harm to others)
Giving users a way to prove that they're being harassed with, say, a screenshot or some other form of authentication could help Twitter catch bad actors, even after they've covered their tracks.—
Issie Lapowsky
Issie LapowskyA perennial diplomatic bad actor, North Korea has already rattled its sabers at the opening of the Obama administration.—Alex Kingsbury
Alex Kingsbury"We've got to break away from the notion," as the U.A.W.'s [United Auto Workers] director of public relations, Peter G. Laarman, puts it, "that labor is a 'bad actor' in the economy. …"—Harry Stein
Harry Stein
also
: something that causes trouble, danger, or a problem
The bad actor in male pattern hair loss is DHT, a metabolic product of testosterone. —Jane E. Brody
Jane E. Brody We have special ducts throughout the vapor bath that carry away all the toxic bad actors. —PC Today
PC Today Examples of bad actor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The former leaves us vulnerable to bad actors who weaponize realistic clips.
—Nadav Ziv, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
That could have drastic consequences as bad actors use it to enact hateful stereotypes and push extremist propaganda.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Instead of imposing a moratorium on all operators, the city should use existing code enforcement tools to target bad actors.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
The city’s inability to enforce its ordinances for bad actors brings down the surrounding neighborhoods, makes the city less safe and less pedestrian- and transit-friendly, all of which are a drag on the city’s image and the small businesses on University Avenue.
—Wes Burdine, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
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Nadav Ziv, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
That could have drastic consequences as bad actors use it to enact hateful stereotypes and push extremist propaganda.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Instead of imposing a moratorium on all operators, the city should use existing code enforcement tools to target bad actors.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
The city’s inability to enforce its ordinances for bad actors brings down the surrounding neighborhoods, makes the city less safe and less pedestrian- and transit-friendly, all of which are a drag on the city’s image and the small businesses on University Avenue.
—Wes Burdine, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
Cite this Entry
“Bad actor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20actor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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