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

Møller will next be seen in Lionsgate’s Mutiny, playing the lead villain role opposite Jason Statham and Annabelle Wallis. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 July 2026

Reporting on the Holocaust tested Grossman’s attention to character, replacing the gray zone of Soviet morality with irrefutable villains and victims. — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

Harper and his Angeleno peers show how noir in any setting can work in this century, a time of rampant corruption, outsize villains, and morality turned inside out. — Carolyn Kellogg, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Season 1 ends with lingering questions and a shocking act that establishes the villain for the next season. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

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
• 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