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

The plot thickened when said bidder turned out to be hedge fund founder Martin Shkreli, who turned himself into one of America’s supervillains soon after buying the right to become the album’s sole owner and possibly sole listener. —Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026

Chris Pratt is known for having action-forward roles in movies – wrestling supervillains, fighting video-game baddies, befriending dinosaurs, occasionally playing baseball, that sort of thing. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026

No spoiler alerts are needed to say the Stranger Things supervillain isn’t really back from the dead or the Upside Down or Broadway. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026

And then, instead of waging war on humanity, all nations would bow before him, the trillionaire controlling the medical establishment (that is, a different sort of supervillain). —New Atlas, 3 Jan. 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