as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villain
But new life and civilizations await, including a villain that will test our characters' grit and resolve.
—
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2025
Kove's character John Kreese has long been a villain in the Karate Kid cineverse, appearing in three films, as well as more recently on the Netflix reboot series Cobra Kai.
—Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
Clayface is shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and got his introduction as part of Detective Comics #40 in June 1940.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2025
Kove's character John Kreese has long been a villain in the Karate Kid cineverse, appearing in three films, as well as more recently on the Netflix reboot series Cobra Kai.
—Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
Clayface is shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and got his introduction as part of Detective Comics #40 in June 1940.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
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This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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Cops released surveillance photos of a trio of brutes wanted for punching, repeatedly stabbing and robbing a man on a Bronx train last month.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Call of Cthulhu flipped a lot of gaming conventions on their head with characters that degraded over time and scenarios that rewarded fleeing monsters instead of slaying them.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
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Murphy also ordered the feds to provide the monsters with interpreters and counsel.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Assign someone to challenge ideas or play devil’s advocate.—
Elizabeth Freedman,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Like, Mars is a character, kind of like a devil on my shoulder.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 June 2025
Noun
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As crypto holders become increasingly savvy online, criminals start resorting to physical attacks.—
Marie Poteriaieva,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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With the help of a charming and ethnically diverse array of loveable colleagues, Peralta brings down criminals in entirely bingeable 22-minute chunks.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The beasts were spotted at around 11:30 a.m. near Beach 32nd Street.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
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That's because, even though restaurants can be unpredictable beasts, food and labor are largely considered to be controllable costs.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Yet each performance feels angled at a slightly different degree, one distinct acting turn making all the difference between a charming scoundrel, a depressed artist, a loyal sidekick, an aloof intellectual, or a precocious kid.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
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Is Jim Ellis a live-fast, die-young scoundrel or just a mostly pretty nice guy with a heart of gold who just happens to be working for the mob?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
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To make matters even worse, snow pirates, survivalists, bandits, the colonial military force NEVEC, and other factions are fighting over land and resources.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 June 2025
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But the project is also right at home for Laika, as it’s set in a secret forest just outside of Laika’s home in Portland and follows a girl whose baby brother is taken into the forest, only to discover an exotic world of talking animals and bandits.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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