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I've heard that this in "the last ship" and that sounded like a compliment.What do you say?

user3763408
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    That's an interesting question. It was news to me a couple years ago when a former student said I was a badass (her spelling). I queried her, because it didn't sound complimentary to me, and she said it was -- it means (again, her definition, which I'm happy enough to accept) a person who is independent and competent enough to do what they start out to do, regardless of whether it's popular, or even allowed. – John Lawler Oct 26 '15 at 18:37
  • Possible duplicate of http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/185440/where-does-the-slang-word-bad-ass-badass-come-from – Kristina Lopez Oct 26 '15 at 18:50
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    @JohnLawler Sounds like what in Britain (and presumably also in America) we would call a maverick. Though according to the OED in the US a maverick is an unbranded calf, so named after a rancher who refused to brand his cattle. Badass is not really in the British lexicon though we do have a lot of arseholes and silly arses! – WS2 Oct 26 '15 at 19:37
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    Those aren't complimentary, though. – John Lawler Oct 26 '15 at 19:39
  • @JohnLawler Does maverick have that sense with you too? I can't find any etymology for it in the OED - only for the unbranded calf meaning. Was it just that it exemplified the attitude of Mr Maverick the rancher? – WS2 Oct 26 '15 at 21:38
  • A maverick is a wild horse that has been tamed, at least officially. It's taken on a number of other meanings over the years; in the US Navy, a maverick is an officer who has come up through enlisted ranks, instead of starting off as an officer (like service academy graduates do). In business, it means someone who opposes common wisdom, sometimes successfully. But maverick is a wild west metaphor, where badass is AAVE. – John Lawler Oct 26 '15 at 21:45
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    This covers the basics: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Badass –  Oct 26 '15 at 23:06
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    I wish to state here for the record that "bad ass" with a space is usually negative. Even if you're reprimanding a donkey. – Mr Lister Oct 27 '15 at 06:39
  • @JohnLawler That's interesting. The 'wild horse' sense probably originates from the unbranded calf meaning. And I recall there was a Wild West TV series in the fifties in which the hero was such a wild horse. And that may be how it entered the UK lexicon and is applied generally to people who come through on the strength of their own personality etc - often to a politician who does not toe his party's line. – WS2 Oct 27 '15 at 08:03
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    It's positive, except when you add prefix "literally", in which case it means one literally has a bad ass. Please don't take my comment seriously. – Pouya Oct 27 '15 at 10:35
  • That depends. If you're a human being and are referred to as a "badass" it's generally complementary, although with perhaps some negative bias. It can be assumed to be a negative comment, though, if you happen to be a donkey... :-) – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні Oct 27 '15 at 11:51
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    @JohnLawler - in my days in the Navy someone who had risen from the enlisted ranks and gained his/her commission was known as a "mustang". "Maverick" is the dumb-assed nickname of a character played by a dumb-assed actor in a stupid-sh*t movie about a bunch of brown-shoes. YMMV. – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні Oct 27 '15 at 11:55
  • @BobJarvis - "Maverick" is a legend of the West. – Hot Licks Oct 27 '15 at 12:47
  • @BobJarvis: Sorry, you're right. My mistake. I was confusing maverick with mustang, easy to do when you're not horsy. – John Lawler Oct 27 '15 at 14:28
  • @Pouya: Apparently many dictionaries now claim that "literally" means "figuratively". What does anything even mean anymore? – Darrel Hoffman Oct 27 '15 at 15:19
  • @JohnLawler - they're like Ford cars. Mustangs are cool. Mavericks suck. :-) – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні Oct 27 '15 at 15:37
  • http://www.badassoftheweek.com/shrestha.html example of a badass. – Journeyman Geek Oct 28 '15 at 01:08
  • "Bad Ass" with a space is still complimentary, with the space having been added for emphasis. I've never actually heard or seen the words "bad ass" used where someone actually intended to insult a donkey or disparage someone's derriere. The closest I've seen to this is deliberate misinterpretation by pun-obsessed literalists, and they, of course, deserve nothing more than a slight grin and a scoff. When making negative comments about donkeys or buttocks, people almost always use adjectives other than "bad", such as "fat", "nasty", "stubborn", "lazy", "putrid", etc. – Dr. Funk Oct 28 '15 at 19:43

9 Answers9

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In the usage you described, the phrase "Bad Ass!" is an exclamation similar to "Awesome!", "Superb!", or "That's totally rad, brah!".

This is distinct from the usage of the term "badass" as a description of a person, such as in "Chuck Norris is a badass!", which is usually a form of legitimate praise connoting toughness, rugged independence, etc. However, the term can also be used sarcastically to demean someone, such as in "Look out, folks! We've got a badass over here!", which is commonly used in internet flame-wars against so-called "internet tough guys".

The positive meaning of "bad ass" or "badass" is derived from the somewhat dated slang usage of the word "bad", meaning "cool". For example, one might exclaim "That is one baaad ride, brother!" at the sight of one of these. Or, for another example, one might say "She's a bad mama jama!" to express that one finds a particular woman exceptionally attractive. Context is important, though, with this slang usage of the word "bad", as is the tone and inflection used when employing it in conversation. Since its usage has fallen out of favor as a go-to descriptor for all-things-exceptional, the term "bad" may be misinterpreted as a disparagement or criticism if not given the proper context or tone. The term "badass" is generally safer to use, mild vulgarity notwithstanding, as its meaning is not usually interpreted as negative.

Dr. Funk
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    Note that anything positive can be sarcastic. That's the very definition of sarcasm. It is impossible to come up with something that cannot be said in a sarcastic way. – slebetman Oct 27 '15 at 03:36
  • This is likely related to the fact that "bad" (or perhaps "baaad") has, in the proper context, meant "good" since the 60s. – Hot Licks Oct 27 '15 at 12:49
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    Of course anything positive can be sarcastic. I included the sarcastic usage because it is so prevalent. – Dr. Funk Oct 27 '15 at 15:05
  • Context is important, and so is word choice. It's instructive to note how many times, when we see someone in a movie or TV show described as "a total badass" in a complimentary way, it would also be completely accurate to describe them as "a total sociopath" or "a total thug," which all mean essentially the same thing but have a different value of approval attached to them. – Mason Wheeler Oct 27 '15 at 20:01
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While it suggests someone who is difficult to deal with - doing things according to their own desires, standards, and timetables - it is virtually always meant to be positive. A badass cannot be intimidated or deterred, shuns compromise, lives life to the fullest, etc.

JHCL
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Always positive. Although it's a combination of what sounds like two insults, I don't believe "badass" has ever had a negative meaning. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces its current meaning "tough guy" at least to the 1950s.

My observation is that using "bad" à la Michael Jackson to mean "cool" or "good" is extinct and has been for a couple decades, but "badass" is very common.

hunter
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    Unless of course you're using it in the phrase "Bad Motherf--er", in which case it's still a current pop culture reference. Although the phrase was probably first popularised by the early '70s flick Shaft (in the euphemistically contracted form "bad mother"), it was repopularised by Pulp Fiction and still quoted fairly often. Heck, I use it. :) – Deepak Oct 27 '15 at 07:38
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If you're talking to a donkey it would be a negative connotation as in "Bad ass! Do NOT eat the sofa!". Otherwise it is generally taken to be complimentary ("Dude, that was totally bad ass!") or referencing the perceived toughness of an individual ("That soldier is a total badass").

The often used negative to referring to an individual as a "bad ass" is usually just "an ass", or "a hard-ass" in the case of an individual who is tough on others.

The Real Bill
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I will only add to the above answers that, in addition to badass denoting a person (which, as has been noted, is always a compliment and denotes toughness, independence, and a general sense of "watch-out-for-this-guy"), the phrase badass move denotes a bold, decisive action, and by extension the word badass can be used as an adjective to describe anything or any action that has the qualities of a badass. "That's a real badass shirt" means "That's a very cool shirt."

You will even encounter the word "badassery" to refer to the quality of being a badass:

badassery. Syllabification: bad·ass·er·y. Pronunciation: /ˈbadˌasərē/. Noun, North American informal. Behavior, characteristics, or actions regarded as formidably impressive: few of us can attain her level of badassery.

mweiss
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The literal definition of a phrase with 'bad' in it would be negative. A 'bad ass' would literally be a donkey that is not good.

The connotation of the slang phrase 'badass' is superlative.

Xalorous
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It's origins might have been negative, but in today's pop culture it is mostly used with a positive intent

Rajesh
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I've been called a badass most of my adult life. I don't see it as a negative thing I see myself as being extremely independent very strong and I don't put up with bullshit. I'm not a Fufu kind of girl I'm a country girl and couldn't do girls get stuff handled. So no I see no problem with the word at all or being called one. My daughter loves the fact that her mom is a badass.

Lori Pluto
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I'd argue that, like the word big, it doesn't convey anything evaluative.

Suppose I were a sports scout discussing a player with management. If I were to say he's big, the nature of the sport would determine the value of that prospect's bigness. If I were scouting for a football team, ascribing bigness to a player would entail ascribing something good to him. However, if I were scouting for an equestrian team, the opposite would be the case.

Likewise, the relevant circumstances determines whether the ascription of badassness to a person entails the ascription of something good to that person.

Hal
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  • Usage of the term "badass" is almost always complimentary. If one refers to a person as being a "badass soccer player", they're complementing the person's skill on the soccer field. If one refers to a person as being a "badass" in the context of scouting football players, it is almost invariably a complement. The only exception is - and this really counts as an entirely different usage - when one says "so-and-so thinks he's a badass", which implies that he is not actually a badass, thus making it a criticism. – Dr. Funk Oct 28 '15 at 19:33