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

But Cathy isn’t a villain, even if her voiceover begins with an observation about monsters being born to human parents. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026

The fourth season’s penultimate episode features a pregnancy revelation, the unmasking of a secret villain, and, in its final moments, an unexpected loss that lends an extra layer of poignancy to the episode’s title. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026

The next scene introduces Farrell as the villain in this story. — Deborah Day, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

It must be asked how Macklemore turned the narrative and turned a Jewish philanthropist — who pledged $2 million to Gaza humanitarian aid — into the villain of the story? — Kenneth L. Marcus, New York Daily News, 25 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