bad guy

bad guy — 名詞

1. the main evil character in a book, film, or play, whose job is to cause problems

1.名詞A2
釋義

反派角色

故事或電影中的邪惡角色

the main evil character in a book, film, or play, whose job is to cause problems for the hero or main character.

例句

In the latest superhero film, Selim plays the bad guy who wants to destroy the city.

在最新的超級英雄電影中，Selim 飾演想要毀滅城市的反派角色。

collocation: play the bad guy / be the bad guy

Children watching cartoons usually cheer for the hero and boo at the bad guy.

小朋友看卡通片時，通常會為英雄加油，對反派發出噓聲。

同義詞
  • villain

    more formal; the standard term for an evil character in a story

  • baddie

    very informal, often used by children or in light-hearted contexts

  • antagonist

    formal term used in literary analysis; may not be morally evil, just opposed to the protagonist

反義詞
  • hero

    the main good character who fights the bad guy

用法筆記

This sense is used mainly for fictional characters in movies, books, TV shows, or comics. For real people who do bad things, sense 2 is more appropriate.

常見錯誤

❌He is the bad guy in our office.' (when meaning a real person who behaves badly).
✅The villain in that novel is one of the scariest bad guys ever written.
💡For a real person, use sense 2 or a word like 'bully' or 'troublemaker'.

2. a real person who is thought of as morally bad or evil, for example a criminal,

2.名詞B1
釋義

壞人；惡人

被視為邪惡或應受譴責的人

a real person who is thought of as morally bad or evil, for example a criminal, an enemy in a conflict, or someone who deserves blame for a problem.

例句

The police arrested the bad guys who had been stealing cars across three counties.

警方逮捕了那些橫跨三個郡偷車的壞人。

plural form: bad guys

During the war, each side described the other as the bad guys.

戰爭期間，雙方都把對方形容為壞人。

同義詞
  • criminal

    more precise; refers specifically to someone who has broken the law

  • wrongdoer

    more formal; someone who acts immorally or illegally

  • villain

    stronger moral judgment; sometimes implies theatrical evil

反義詞
  • good guy

    the opposite in the same informal register

用法筆記

Often used in the plural (bad guys) to label a group. In conflicts, both sides may call each other the bad guys, so the term is subjective.

常見錯誤

❌The bad guy broke my phone.' (when a child accidentally broke it).
✅The bad guys robbed the bank and escaped in a white van.
💡Use this sense for deliberate wrongdoing, not accidents.

3. a person who willingly takes the role of being strict, harsh, or unpopular, espe

3.名詞B2
釋義

扮黑臉的人

執行嚴格規定或說不討喜話的人

a person who willingly takes the role of being strict, harsh, or unpopular, especially in a situation where someone has to give orders, say no, or enforce rules that others dislike.

例句

Coach Lukas has to be the bad guy and tell players their performance is not good enough.

Lukas 教練必須扮黑臉，告訴球員他們的表現不夠好。

collocation: be the bad guy (take an unpopular role)

Megan hates being the bad guy, but someone must tell the children they cannot stay up late.

Megan 討厭扮黑臉，但總得有人告訴孩子們不能熬夜。

同義詞
  • hard-liner

    someone who refuses to change their strict position

  • disciplinarian

    someone who believes in strict discipline, especially with children

反義詞
  • good cop

    the opposite role in a good cop / bad cop dynamic; the lenient, understanding figure

用法筆記

This sense appears in workplace, parenting, or team settings. The person being called the bad guy is not necessarily evil — they are simply taking a difficult or unpopular role that someone has to fill.

常見錯誤

❌My boss is a bad guy because he fired me.' (when meaning he is evil).
✅My boss had to be the bad guy and fire several staff to save the company.
💡Sense 3 implies a necessary but unpleasant role, not genuine evil.