Advertisement
English Lexicon

Bad actor

/ˌbæd ˈæk.tər/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A person who behaves in a dishonest or unethical manner, especially in a professional context.

    "The company had to deal with a bad actor who was embezzling funds."
  2. 2

    An individual involved in illegal activities or actions that harm others.

    "In the world of cybersecurity, a bad actor can compromise sensitive data."
Advertisement

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the English adjective 'bad' combined with 'actor' (from Latin 'actor', a doer or performer, via Old French). Originally rooted in theater to describe a poor performer, the phrase evolved in late 20th-century political, legal, and cybersecurity contexts to denote an individual or organization that intentionally disrupts, harms, or acts with malicious intent.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Bad actor"?

Advertisement

10 Global Lexicons: How "Bad actor" is said worldwide

Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Bad actor"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Bad actor" Synonym Map
Advertisement