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

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

Quaid plays Huey on the show while Doumit played supervillain politician Victoria Neuman, who exited the show in 2024. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026

While the two play cat and mouse, an insidious supervillain in Kenneth Branagh looms overhead, threatening to take Jordan down. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

The franchise began with Despicable Me, which introduced Steve Carell as Gru, a supervillain accompanied by small, yellow, gibberish-speaking henchmen known as the Minions. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 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