as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villain
Animation fans were in for a very tasty treat, as the episode introduced villains and set the tone for the brutal show adapted from the best-selling Vertigo series by the late Anthony Bourdain, co-created with Joel Rose.
—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
27 June 2026
For Cruella, he was handed another piece of female-centric intellectual property by Disney, making a complex figure out of a classic cartoon villain.
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David Sims,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2026
Even in London, though, some associated with Arsenal are hardly enamoured at the interest, given the 28-year-old’s status as a pantomime villain in the new English champions’ eyes since his early days in the Premier League.
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Mark Carey,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The movie will reunite Corenswet with his onscreen nemesis with Nicholas Hoult, who portrayed the villain Lex Luthor in Superman.
—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for villain
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
27 June 2026
For Cruella, he was handed another piece of female-centric intellectual property by Disney, making a complex figure out of a classic cartoon villain.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2026
Even in London, though, some associated with Arsenal are hardly enamoured at the interest, given the 28-year-old’s status as a pantomime villain in the new English champions’ eyes since his early days in the Premier League.
—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The movie will reunite Corenswet with his onscreen nemesis with Nicholas Hoult, who portrayed the villain Lex Luthor in Superman.
—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
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Shinnecock was still a brute of a test, but the red numbers on the white scoreboard were an unfamiliar site for this course.
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These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
Noun
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Or will the monsters get in their way?
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Making matters worse, Christophe has a spinal condition that requires him to wear a massive metal back brace 24/7, turning him into a pre-teen metal monster.
Noun
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What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
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That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Noun
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Also called devil's snare, the plant's seeds, roots, stems, and leaves are all dangerous if ingested.
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Beloved baby brother, American [WWII bronze star veteran], husband, father of 4 strong women, [grandpa], adorable scamp, handsome devil, and trickster to the end.
Noun
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Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
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This savage, amoral and unfeeling Robin Hood has been written to invert everything modern fans like about him.
Noun
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Deputies responded to the area and identified an undisclosed number of juveniles as the offenders, officials said.
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Washington faces decisions about whether to sanction firms that engage in distillation, restrict the chips and cloud infrastructure that support it, and create legal safe harbors for American AI labs to share threat intelligence about offenders.
Noun
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Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 drops you into the galaxy’s underworld as Kay Vess, a scoundrel trying to pull off the biggest heist in the Outer Rim.
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But that just reinforces Samuel Johnson’s adage that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Noun
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Perhaps another beast could be used for making hamburgers instead.
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Amusingly, these events were nicknamed perytons, after a fictional beast that had the hybrid body of a stag and bird but cast the shadow of a human; a nod to their imposter nature.
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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