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

… witness the wolf, at once ecological hero and agricultural villain.

—Ben Goldfarb

4

: villein

5

: an uncouth person : boor

Synonyms of villain

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

Also in the series is Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, the iconic villain of Iron Man 3, who ended up being an actor playing a villain. —Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025

Moreover, when the villain and their motivations are finally revealed, the discovery feels neither revelatory nor meaningful. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025

For most of Volume 2, Max is trapped, with 12 younger children from ST’s fictional town of Hawkins, in a mind-prison designed by the show’s villain, Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower). —Nick Remsen, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025

This was all part of the villain's master plan. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 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