as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villain
This is just one of dozens of tweets railing about the deep state and other MAGA villains that Bankman-Fried, one of the century’s most notorious financial criminals, has published in recent weeks despite being locked up for 25 years in federal prison.
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Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Not that there aren’t villains; indeed, as much as there is accord within the household, there is discord without.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
And Max Minghella, hard-eyed but soft-spoken, makes a giddy villain.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Season 20 premiere, which is still my favorite season, opens up with those helicopters, with the hero tribe on one side and the villains on the other.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for villain
Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Not that there aren’t villains; indeed, as much as there is accord within the household, there is discord without.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
And Max Minghella, hard-eyed but soft-spoken, makes a giddy villain.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Season 20 premiere, which is still my favorite season, opens up with those helicopters, with the hero tribe on one side and the villains on the other.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
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For much of his career, Skarsgård has gravitated toward characters who weaponize physical presence — Vikings, tech titans and mythic brutes whose power is immediately legible.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
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As usual, Lang plays the brute’s Heart of Darkness–esque descent into madness with gleeful relish.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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New Yorkers only just freed from the snow and ice left by January’s monster storm will once again face winter’s wrath.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
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If a monster is there, and the monster is those who escape justice or being held to account.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
20 Feb. 2026
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His office is more concerned about arresting police officers than prosecuting criminals.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Think of devil’s food in Bundt form!—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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To play devil’s advocate, Rodriguez has exhausted a lot of patience (there’s a funny quote in Felipe Cardenas’ analysis about his physical stats).—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Urus, a snarling, spitting savage dressed up in an orange tuxedo, will cause a commotion at the supermarket, gym and park.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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According to multiple people briefed on the discussions, the committee could propose to remove the carryover suspension part of the punishment for first-time offenders on second-half targeting penalties, leaving in place a 15-yard penalty and ejection.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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What emerged, Jackson told the court Thursday, was the portrait of a transient and calculating offender who operated across multiple states and evaded law enforcement for years.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Political leaders who encourage or tolerate such scoundrels should be driven from office.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
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Going back to the origins of everyone's favorite scoundrel, Han Solo, may have felt like a no-brainer — especially with Kasdan on board as co-writer — but the film never felt like an essential addition to the rapidly expanding canon.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Anyway, Melling says, the movie Pillion is its own beast.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
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Our team of a half dozen volunteers worked for a little over an hour, amazed at the size of these starchy beasts in the earthy soil.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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