bad apple
A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He is a bad apple who causes trouble for everyone.”
“One bad apple in the group makes the whole neighborhood look dangerous.”
“The manager fired the bad apple because his negative attitude was ruining the team's productivity.”
“The teacher moved the bad apple to a different desk because he kept encouraging the other students to break the classroom rules during the lesson.”
“Although the organization was built on integrity, a single bad apple managed to corrupt the entire department through his dishonest business practices.”
Derived from the proverb "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch," or its numerous historical variants. The phrase draws upon the observation that the ethylene gas produced by a decaying fruit will cause its neighbours to rot with similar efficiency. Although the sentiment appears in various forms throughout Middle English and early modern literature, the specific idiom follows the logic of the botanical principle.
- 01
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 02
apple polisher
A sycophant; a toady.
- 03
apples and oranges
A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible analogy, or the items so compared; a disanalogy.
- 04
apples to apples
A comparison of items that are similar.
- 05
apples to apples, oranges to oranges
A comparison of items that are similar, while also acknowledging or distinguishing a separation of their sets or categories.
- 06
bad actor
An individual or entity with a prior criminal conviction, or who has been sanctioned by the court or regulator.
- 07
bad books
Disfavor.
- 08
bad business
Synonym of bad news (“irritating, troublesome or harmful thing, situation or person”).
Last updated August 10, 2026