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
As if cursed since the Civil War, residents continue to mistake their homegrown villains for heroes.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Following the events of the first film, the Federation’s Man Hunters are now portrayed more openly as the clear villains.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The book’s villain, Paul Alabaster, was inspired by a real person who ritually transfuses his son’s blood to look younger.
—Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The villain of the television broadcasts on Thursday, the hero of the travelling Arsenal support on Sunday.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for villain
Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Following the events of the first film, the Federation’s Man Hunters are now portrayed more openly as the clear villains.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The book’s villain, Paul Alabaster, was inspired by a real person who ritually transfuses his son’s blood to look younger.
—Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The villain of the television broadcasts on Thursday, the hero of the travelling Arsenal support on Sunday.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Jan. 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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Catrina Bell loves to write sweetie pie monsters who bring the heat.—
Meg Miller,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
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Essie Davis plays Amelia, who struggles to raise her 6-year-old son, Sam (Noah Wiseman), as he's tormented by the titular humanoid storybook monster.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment, but officials there have broadly defended the department’s actions as not only justified but necessary for ensuring the rule of law and holding alleged criminals to account.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Among the fastest-growing indoor plants is golden pathos or devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum).—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
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Sun Raha Hai sees a desperate millionaire drawn into a devil’s pact and rom-com Mismatched is back for a fourth and final season.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Brutal, savage, and gory, this movie follows a home invasion on Christmas Eve where a mysterious woman (Béatrice Dalle) tries to steal an unborn baby right out of another woman's (Alysson Paradis) pregnant belly.—
Huntley Woods,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The committee voted to fully fund payments to jails, which have housed some offenders as a backup, and for medical payments.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
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An Illinois man faces child pornography charges in Waukesha County under a new Wisconsin law that aims to punish offenders who use artificial intelligence to generate explicit images.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Giannis, a gentleman even in this era of scoundrels, likely wants to do right by the Bucks, too.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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From subtle gossip to intentional exclusion, bullying is a complex beast.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
1 Feb. 2026
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However, South Africa’s history was wrought with geological conflict as erupting volcanoes destroyed traces of preexisting dinosaurs while those beasts were still alive.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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