Bad rap means: An undeservedly poor reputation.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
bad rap
(slang) An undeservedly poor reputation.
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
spiders get such a bad rap for motherhood ... so many are wonderful moms they just have a time limit to their motherly instincts lol and that's perfectly suited for bug world
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BlueskyMay 2026
Passive-aggressiveness gets a bad rap, but the alternative is active aggressiveness and that usually results in a worse outcome.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Yayyyyy! Partridges get a bad rap! Come read the fruit of a very strange rabbit hole I went down in the Fall of 2024. Thanks especially to the reviewers and the editorial team at JECS. Probably one of my favourite pub…
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Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
(slang) An undeservedly poor reputation.
See it in action
“spiders get such a bad rap for motherhood ... so many are wonderful moms they just have a time limit to their motherly instincts lol and that's perfectly suited for bug world”
“Passive-aggressiveness gets a bad rap, but the alternative is active aggressiveness and that usually results in a worse outcome.”
“Yayyyyy! Partridges get a bad rap! Come read the fruit of a very strange rabbit hole I went down in the Fall of 2024. Thanks especially to the reviewers and the editorial team at JECS. Probably one of my favourite publication processes I've been through.”
Brussels sprouts get a bad rap: many kids hate them before they ever taste them.
For parents
Bad rap means: An undeservedly poor reputation.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
bad rap means: An undeservedly poor reputation.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: poor
Heard in the wild
“spiders get such a bad rap for motherhood ... so many are wonderful moms they just have a time limit to their motherly instincts lol and that's perfectly suited for bug world”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Passive-aggressiveness gets a bad rap, but the alternative is active aggressiveness and that usually results in a worse outcome.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Yayyyyy! Partridges get a bad rap! Come read the fruit of a very strange rabbit hole I went down in the Fall of 2024. Thanks especially to the reviewers and the editorial team at JECS. Probably one of my favourite publication processes I've been through.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "bad rap" (B)
badmanbadmashbadminbad mindbad-mindedbadonkerbad scran to someonebad-talkbad to beatbad tripbadunkadunkbad up
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Semantically related
- bum rap76%
(idiomatic) An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.
- bad up73%
(slang, transitive) To badmouth; criticise or malign.
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(slang) A false accusation, or an injustice, especially one that leads to imprisonment.
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(figuratively, slang) An undesirable or difficult task.
- baditude68%
A casual slang blend of bad and attitude, describing a negative, confrontational, or unnecessarily difficult attitude. The bad element signals the quality of the attitude rather than making it a compliment in the way that a bad attitude rarely is. Used to describe someone who is bringing unnecessary conflict or defiance to a situation where cooperation would serve everyone better.