The bad boy is a cultural archetype that is variously defined and often used synonymously with the historic terms rake or cad: a male who behaves badly, especially within societal norms.
Definitions
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The stereotypical "bad guy" was described by Kristina Grish in her book Addickted as "the irresistible rogue who has the dizzying ability to drive women wild" with a "laissez-faire attitude about life and love".[3]
An article in The Independent compared the term "bad boys" with men who had a particular combination of personality traits, sometimes referred to as the "dark triad", and reported that a study found that such men were likely to have a greater number of sexual affairs.[4]