villain

noun

vil·​lain ˈvi-lən 

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

… witness the wolf, at once ecological hero and agricultural villain.

—Ben Goldfarb

4

: villein

5

: an uncouth person : boor

Synonyms of villain

• brute
• monster
• criminal
• devil
• savage
• offender
• scoundrel
• beast
• bandit
• assassin

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

The first trailer showcases Kravitz’s villain, who leads Aleph and is threatening Bond with death. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2025

Bonds goes down as one of the game’s all-time villains, and not just because of the steroids. —Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025

Lenny Kravitz officially enters his Bond villain era. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025

From Lara Croft's return to Lenny Kravitz's James Bond villain, here are the biggest moments from the 2025 Game Awards. —Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for villain

• millon
• amoxicillin
• carbenicillin
• haematoxylin
• ampicillin
• methicillin
• penicillin
• pyroxylin
• vanillin

Kids Definition

villain

noun

vil·​lain ˈvil-ən 

1

: villein

2

: an evil person : scoundrel

3

: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero