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

Vineland’s repressive villain Brock Vond ends ferried to hell by two Eastside vatos locos, while the hippie father Zoyd reunites with his daughter at an anarchist family picnic. —John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025

The witty, heartfelt drama with a superlative cast led by Sarah Michelle Gellar feels like a Halloween show throughout, considering all the supernatural villains. —Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Eugene Domingo stars as Mauricia, a disrespected restaurant worker who, while watching soap operas one night, gets sucked through her TV screen into a training academy for villains. —PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025

That story line’s villains and betrayals are predictable in a way Mare never was, with characters who are either paper thin or overloaded with quirks. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Sep. 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