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

automation as the villain in job … displacement

—M. H. Goldberg

4

: villein

5

: an uncouth person : boor

Synonyms

• brute
• monster
• devil
• criminal
• savage
• offender
• beast
• scoundrel
• 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

Temuera Morrison plays a terrific villain as the murderous King Kahekili. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Year: 2009 Director: Tony Scott Runtime: 1h 44m A remake of the 1974 subway-hijack thriller is inferior in just about every way, particularly with its villain, played by a way-too-jacked-up John Travolta. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025

Living with the aftermath Smollett in Episode 9 Courtesy of Apple TV+ Lehane never set out to create a simple morality tale with clear heroes and villains. —Jp Mangalindan, Time, 15 Aug. 2025

McKean gives his all with the performance, becoming, weirdly, one of the scariest villains in the franchise. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025

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
• haematoxylin
• 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