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 implications go beyond one bad actor gaming the system.
—Ron Shevlin, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Many have voiced support for higher wages for all and the end to a tipping system that can be discriminatory, arbitrary, and one that's historically attracted bad actors who've stolen wages and tips.
—Anna Spiegel, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
The real change will come when dating apps get back to facilitating meaningful conversations, connections, and relationships all while making sure that bad actors are proactively removed and abusers handled swiftly and permanently.
—Myisha Battle, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
In 2020, Amazon launched its Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), which bridges private industry, customs agencies, law enforcement professionals and more to take action against bad actors on Amazon.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
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Ron Shevlin, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Many have voiced support for higher wages for all and the end to a tipping system that can be discriminatory, arbitrary, and one that's historically attracted bad actors who've stolen wages and tips.
—Anna Spiegel, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
The real change will come when dating apps get back to facilitating meaningful conversations, connections, and relationships all while making sure that bad actors are proactively removed and abusers handled swiftly and permanently.
—Myisha Battle, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
In 2020, Amazon launched its Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), which bridges private industry, customs agencies, law enforcement professionals and more to take action against bad actors on Amazon.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 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 8 Apr. 2025.
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