supervillain

noun

su·​per·​vil·​lain ˈsü-pər-ˌvi-lən 

plural supervillains

: a fictional villain having extraordinary or superhuman powers

In more recent years, [Jon] Cryer appeared as legendary supervillain Lex Luthor in the CW drama Supergirl.

—Martin Holmens

… the issue will feature Spider-Man facing off against the Sinister Six, which includes supervillains Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro and Kraven the Hunter …

—Jeremy Childs

also : a person or entity likened to a supervillain

On the show, [Elon] Musk suggests there is a "fast way and a slow way" to raise the temperatures of Mars before sharing the fast way is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The idea is greeted by [Stephen] Colbert calling Musk a supervillain, to which Musk just casually responds, "Yeah."

—AJ Dellinger

compare superhero, superheroine

Examples of supervillain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our impressively multicultural team of street racers now freelance in the shadowy and complex world of covert ops, jetting around the world to take down an increasingly unhinged array of nihilist supervillains. —Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026

Other characters the writer co-created during this time are the supervillain Jackal and Parker’s clone Ben Reilly. —Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026

What if ‘Breaking Bad’ was about Walter White becoming a supervillain? —Marta Balaga, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026

Doumit played politician and secret supervillain Victoria Neuman opposite Jack’s character, tech genius Hughie Campbell. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervillain

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