I just came across this documentary:
The World's Biggest & Baddest Bugs by Animal Planet
Is "baddest" a proper word? Shouldn't it be "worst"? What is going on here?
asked Aug 22, 2012 at 18:07
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4It's not proper, it's slang. NOTE: The Animal Planet network has a wide audience with middle-school-aged budding scientists, and this title would appeal to that demographic.– J.R.Aug 22, 2012 at 18:11
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Thanks for the kind words. :^) I like Marcus' answer, too; it's just as good as mine. You might as well accept his.– J.R.Aug 22, 2012 at 18:17
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2If you wanted to emphasize how bad the Big Bad Wolf was when telling a fairy tale, I don't think the biggest worst wolf ever would have the right impact.– Tim LymingtonAug 22, 2012 at 18:19
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Hah, see you posted your comment while I was typing my answer. Had you put it as the answer I just would have skipped mine.– Marcus_33Aug 22, 2012 at 18:19
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See also: code mixing– HaLAug 22, 2012 at 18:46
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7 Answers
The OED shows baddeste and baddyst as Middle English forms and baddest as being in use from the sixteenth century onwards. It notes, however, that baddest is now non-standard and regional. For that reason it should be avoided in formal Standard English. Not all contexts, however, require formal Standard English and the package illustrated is clearly one that does not. It was no doubt chosen for alliterative effect.
answered Aug 22, 2012 at 18:35
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6I'll give you alliterative, partially, but in point of fact it was chosen because "baddest" in modern American slang means "toughest" or "meanest" or "most capable of winning a fight."– RobustoAug 22, 2012 at 19:05
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3@Robusto; I believe the origin is Badass, but not even a gangsta could say badassest and keep a straight face, let alone worstass. Aug 22, 2012 at 19:36
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@Robusto: your sources are unimpeachable, but my point was that, appearances notwithstanding, I believe baddest to be the superlative of badass (an irregular formation, no doubt, but not illegitimate). Aug 22, 2012 at 21:14
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1The National Geographic Magazine issue of October 2014 reads this on its cover: Move over, T. rex: The biggest, baddest carnivore to ever walk the Earth. Oct 14, 2014 at 17:23
It seems we are talking about two meanings of bad. The first meaning is well recognised:
bad: of unacceptable standard, unfavorable, inadequate, etc.
comparative: worse
superlative: worst
The second meaning is informal, and is not considered Standard English, but usage is fairly common:
bad: badass, not to be trifled with
comparative: badder
superlative: baddest
The documentary is clearly referring to the second meaning, so baddest is the correct usage here.
The word "baddest" does not describe the least desirable outcome. When talking about the least desirable outcome, the word you want to use is "worst". Many wouldn't accept "baddest" as a proper word at all.
"Baddest" is common slang though, especially when used in conjunction with "biggest". Its usage comes from using "Bad" as slang word to mean "Cool" or "Tough".
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1I'm torn because it is a good observation that this has to do with an informal/slang sense of 'bad' implying toughness, but I object to the characterization of it as "not a proper word". It does have an entry in some dictionaries, at least: dictionary.reference.com/browse/baddest?s=t– nohat ♦Aug 22, 2012 at 18:46
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5"Worst" is obviously not the correct definition of "baddest" as used in the question.– horatioAug 22, 2012 at 18:48
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@nohat: it's certainly "improper" in some contexts, such as, "That was the baddest question I've seen on EL&U," when I'm referring to the worst I've seen. Given that the O.P. asked about worst in the question, using the word "proper" to do so, I'm willing to let Marcus' opening comment slide. (Even the dictionary link you reference uses the qualifiers slang and nonstandard; one could temporarily define "proper word" as a word that isn't slang and isn't nonstandard, and then all is well with this answer.) Just a thought.– J.R.Aug 23, 2012 at 0:12
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I'm going to revise my answer to make it clearer what I meant, since I agree with horatio that I didn't express my thought correctly. It originally said "Baddest is not a proper word. (Worst is the correct word)." Aug 23, 2012 at 14:17
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@Marcus_33: I knew what you meant, but some folks here may call you out when you make the claim that something that isn't a "proper word." That said, it would have been much badder for you if had said that something wasn't a "real word." :^)– J.R.Aug 23, 2012 at 15:23
NOAD gives the following description for the word baddest:
8.( badder, baddest ) informal good; excellent: they want the baddest, best-looking Corvette there is.
Trawling through Google Books reveals a significant use of baddest in book titles, which is probably for humorous reasons. Here are a few examples:
The Biggest Baddest Wolf
For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever
I think it is not the appropriate one compared with the worst. But it IS an acceptable word, as illustrated in the sentence below:
Stede Bonnet might be known as the baddest pirate captain of them all.
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@Lynn I don't know why you try to edit my answer. I used the "google the sentence " i provided above, which means guy should dig it, the sentence is just a clue. Aug 23, 2012 at 4:43
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@Brake - I didn't think that "google the sentence" was useful - what are they looking for when they google? The sentence by itself is a good enough illustration. If you disagree with the edit, feel free to edit it again, that's how the system works :)– LynnAug 23, 2012 at 14:27
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@Lynn Hello, I think the best "edit" is something about editing the errors and formats etc but not my intention. You edited my intention, that is the reason why i feel uneasy. As an Chinese guy who is studying English, I should say thank you if you do the edit like 'it is a word acceptable' to 'it is an acceptable word'. But I cannot accept that my intention is gone. This is my point. But anyway, this is NOT a big deal, just let it go :) Aug 23, 2012 at 15:47
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2@Brake: I do not mean to belabor the point, but I feel it's important to point out some of the SE philosophy since it appears you're new. When you see a post that you feel is low-quality, it is not only acceptable to edit it, but you are encouraged to edit it to improve it. See Community Editing and Low Quality Posts Review. You are of course free to disagree, and adjust or revert the edit if you feel it changes your intent.– LynnAug 23, 2012 at 16:21
'Baddest' is not standard English these days, though as Barrie says it's been around for a while in various forms. In my opinion the specific term here, 'biggest and baddest', is a play on 'big bad', as in 'the big, bad wolf'. It just emphasises the comparison.
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1Not my donwvote, but if 'it's been around for a while', how can it not be a word? Aug 23, 2012 at 7:17
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2'Proper English' is a vague term and makes too many assumptions. It's preferable to speak of categories such as 'standard' and 'non-standard', 'formal' and 'informal', 'regional' and non-regional'. Aug 23, 2012 at 8:04
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Again, good point. My main reason for responding was to bring in the link to 'big bad', which I believe is what the title was playing on... I just didn't do so well at answering the definite part of the question! Aug 23, 2012 at 9:32
As many people have noted, baddest is not in proper use. However, in the context of this particular DVD it is used for purposes of alliteration and rhyme with biggest to generate a much catchier title than biggest and worst allows.
Also I think in the context baddest does not imply 'worst'. It is used for its colloquial meaning of 'mean' (The same way Michael Jackson wasn't implying that he was rubbish when he released the song "Bad".)
answered Aug 23, 2012 at 9:59
