bad actor
An individual or entity with a prior criminal conviction, or who has been sanctioned by the court or regulator.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The company fired the bad actor for stealing money.”
“The bank tightened its security measures to prevent any bad actor from accessing customer accounts.”
“Regulators identified the firm as a bad actor after discovering a pattern of fraudulent activity designed to deceive unsuspecting investors.”
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bad apple
A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
- 02
bad books
Disfavor.
- 03
bad business
Synonym of bad news (“irritating, troublesome or harmful thing, situation or person”).
- 04
bad company
The wrong crowd.
- 05
bad egg
Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.
- 06
bad hair day
A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.
- 07
bad iron
bad luck.
- 08
bad joke
A situation that is badly planned, or illogical.
Last updated August 10, 2026