bad seed
noun
chiefly US
: a person who is dishonest, evil, or unprincipled by nature : an innately bad person
"Dad wants my brother to come back and live with us again, but Lonna says no way, José, he's a bad seed. … "
Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Despite making it to the league championship for the fifth straight year, the Astros are still MLB’s bad seed following 2019’s cheating scandal. Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2021 The bad seeds at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, are more elusive. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 15 July 2018 Goode warned me before the session that this workshop is a sacred space, where young people don’t have to feel like bad seeds or criminals, or be treated like a spectacle. Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times, 12 Apr. 2019 Still, some egg donation agencies caution that a few bad seeds have ruined it for everyone, and that many donors do have a positive experience. Andrea Stanley, Redbook, 19 Oct. 2017 Just for seeming like a bad seed, you could suddenly be stopped, arrested, and jailed by a police officer. Lucy Nicholson, Marie Claire, 17 Aug. 2016 Loyola has the worst seed in the region but not by much. Blair Kerkhoff, kansascity, 21 Mar. 2018 Notable The Aztecs are now 0-9 as the worse seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mark Zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, 15 Mar. 2018 This period’s mothers intrigued, but so did their daughters, no longer the bad seeds or ciphers used to prop up an older actress’ star turn. Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Dec. 2017 See More
Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2021 The bad seeds at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, are more elusive. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 15 July 2018 Goode warned me before the session that this workshop is a sacred space, where young people don’t have to feel like bad seeds or criminals, or be treated like a spectacle. Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times, 12 Apr. 2019 Still, some egg donation agencies caution that a few bad seeds have ruined it for everyone, and that many donors do have a positive experience. Andrea Stanley, Redbook, 19 Oct. 2017 Just for seeming like a bad seed, you could suddenly be stopped, arrested, and jailed by a police officer. Lucy Nicholson, Marie Claire, 17 Aug. 2016 Loyola has the worst seed in the region but not by much. Blair Kerkhoff, kansascity, 21 Mar. 2018 Notable The Aztecs are now 0-9 as the worse seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mark Zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, 15 Mar. 2018 This period’s mothers intrigued, but so did their daughters, no longer the bad seeds or ciphers used to prop up an older actress’ star turn. Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Dec. 2017 See More Word History
First Known Use
1952, in the meaning defined above