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

Kim was a relatively normal teenager who, while cramming for tests and navigating crushes, also had to save the world from any villain who wished to do harm. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Even though the tides are slowly turning, many video games have formulaic plots that reinforce old-school gender and heteronormative roles, often featuring a hero saving a damsel in distress from a menacing villain. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2026

In order to solidify his cover in Tehran and throw off the story’s villain, Qasim (Navid Negahban, Kandahar), Tucker hires a young Iranian-American woman, Zara (Bollywood star Elnaaz Norouzi, very good), to pose as his wife. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

As Deadline first told you, Uli Latukefu is playing the villain, Ganondorf. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

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
• 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