villain

noun

ˈvi-lən How to pronounce villain (audio)
Definition of villainnext
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of villain On a journey to protect the fate of her children, Eliza is thrust into a perilous race through London’s dark underworld, where she is confronted by an unexpected villain. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026 Harley’s journey to becoming a villain is tied to her romantic relationship with the Joker, who has not yet been introduced. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 Clayface embraces body horror to tell the origin story of the eponymous Batman villain. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026 So to layer that on top of an already very twisted, f---ed up villain leans into the meta-humor that Dexter likes to play with. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
  1. brute
  2. monster
  3. criminal
  4. devil
  5. savage
  6. offender
  7. scoundrel
  8. beast
Noun
  • Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • At last untethered from merely adapting a standard comfy passenger vehicle, the AMG engineers have created a monster.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Set on a mysterious island ravaged by floods and warring armies, a masked boy and girl must traverse atmospheric environments, rescue friends, and confront nightmarish monsters.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • The 83-year-old Mann is known for directing gritty crime stories, many of which look at cops and criminals and are set in urban landscapes.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2026
  • If a criminal still controls the sender's inbox, that person could potentially intercept the question and send a reassuring answer.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • The guitars shred our ears, the wall opens up, and a pair of monsters slinks into the room — a red devil, a hunchbacked demon with a black snout.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In 1974 the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons first appeared, and later editions featured such character types as devils and demons.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • And mostly, the comedian known for his savage takedowns and viral beefs is keeping his cool.
    — Timothy Bella, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Among the English-speaking settlers, the events at Lake George would be remembered as a massacre, and the Indigenous people whose home this was, whose conventions of war did not match those of the European empires, were called savages.
    — James Whorton Jr, Longreads, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • Schneider says royal ferns are known for doing this in the garden, while Jose Lopez, owner and founder of Williams Landscaping Chicago, says ostrich ferns and lady ferns are other common offenders.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Since taking office, the Governor has funded law enforcement at record levels and strengthened bail and discovery laws to hold all violent offenders accountable.
    — Kelsie Cairns , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • There’s been bestselling books, podcasts, an Alex Gibney documentary, and an Emmy-winning series featuring Amanda Seyfried as the Silicon Valley scoundrel.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Frank Dillane plays Willoughby, Marianne’s love interest, with such commitment that the actor was surprised to learn his character is universally acknowledged to be a scoundrel.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of scoundrel
Noun
  • His weary voice, describing with sympathy what this solitary, hungry rover is going through, details a broken relationship between human and beast, but more keenly and traumatically, between humans and humans.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Willem Dafoe plays the landowner-hunter hired by the king to lead the charge against the beast.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of beast

Browse Nearby Words

villages
villain
villainess
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Cite this Entry

“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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