badassery

noun

bad·​ass·​e·​ry ˈbad-ˈa-sə-rē 

chiefly US, informal + sometimes impolite

1

: the state or condition of being a badass : a badass quality or character

Back then, Matt Damon … wasn't exactly anyone's idea of an action star. … But his newfound badassery turned The Bourne Identity into a sleeper hit …

—Chris Nashawaty

2

: actions or behaviors characteristic of a badass

There's crazy stunts. … you're going to see her do a bunch of badassery.

—Leslie Grace, quoted in Variety

She enjoys giving a speech to a roomful of Hollywood heavy hitters. She practices "badassery" in all things.

—Meredith Maran

No way I'm missing a single second of Rolling Stones or Guns N' Roses badassery.

—Matt Wake

Examples of badassery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 1950s, the pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper designed a language called FLOW-MATIC (a name whose badassery has yet to be outdone) that used plain-English-like commands such as IF EQUAL TO and READ-ITEM. —Clive Thompson, WIRED, 29 July 2024

The balance between emotional intelligence and spy badassery is part of the electric charm that lands Forger this high on the list. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

badass entry 1 + -ery

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined at sense 1