villain

noun

vil·​lain ˈvi-lən How to pronounce villain (audio)
1
: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero
2
: a deliberate scoundrel or criminal
3
: one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty
automation as the villain in job … displacementM. H. Goldberg
4
5
: an uncouth person : boor

Examples of villain in a Sentence

He plays the villain in most of his movies. She describes her first husband as a villain who treated her terribly. Don't try to make me the villain. It's your own fault that you're having these problems.
Recent Examples on the Web In later films, Skywalker would become the fearsome villain Darth Vader. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Man infiltrates villain’s world with intent on procuring a pound (or two, or 50) of flesh. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024 The show focuses on Colin Farrell's Penguin character, one of the minor villains from Reeves' 2022 film. Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The plot is simplicity itself, but each of the villains has his own maniacal flavor. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Movies From king to dark prince: Austin Butler and Denis Villeneuve on their new ‘Dune’ villain Feb. 22, 2024 Things change for the mother-son pair, and quickly. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Dozens of the city's true villains met their end Friday morning at the hands of one of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works crews. Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Slaughter was a villain during his initial run in WWE in the early ‘80s. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Spider-Man 3 In the final installment of the Maguire trilogy, out in 2007, Spider-Man faces two villains — Sandman and Venom — while also fighting his inner demons as his suit turns black, bringing out the worst parts of his personality. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'villain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vilain, vilein, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin villanus, from Latin villa

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of villain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near villain

Cite this Entry

“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/villain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

villain

noun
vil·​lain ˈvil-ən How to pronounce villain (audio)
1
2
: an evil person : scoundrel
3
: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero

More from Merriam-Webster on villain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!