villainy

noun

vil·​lainy ˈvi-lə-nē How to pronounce villainy (audio)
plural villainies
1
: villainous conduct
also : a villainous act
2
: the quality or state of being villainous : depravity

Examples of villainy in a Sentence

a story of villainy and betrayal the gruesome villainies of war
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Penn, giving a brilliant performance of cold villainy that could win him a third Oscar, is unafraid of lancing the inherent goofiness of a fascist. David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025 Not to mention Hamill, who never overplays his character’s villainy and makes his second strong impression this year in a Stephen King vehicle after The Life of Chuck. Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 Ultimately, Nellie’s villainy is discovered and she’s punished by her father, while Laura gets the guy. Victoria Edel, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Disneyland has dropped reservation requirements for the once wildly popular Oga’s Cantina six years after the wretched hive of scum and villainy opened to hourslong standby lines that forced the Anaheim theme park to hastily install a reservation system. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for villainy

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of villainy was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Villainy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/villainy. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

villainy

noun
vil·​lainy ˈvil-ə-nē How to pronounce villainy (audio)
plural villainies
: conduct or actions of or typical of a villain

More from Merriam-Webster on villainy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!