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 Jeon Do-yeon, who plays the family’s matriarch, is colorfully slinky as a globe-trotting party widow, a vain, compulsively seductive narcissist who macks on her daughters’ men like a Real Housewife given a villain’s edit. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026 There aren’t any villains here, just young people making young people mistakes and older people making older people mistakes. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Sean has already made the DCU jump, appearing as villain Maxwell Lord in Superman (2025) and the Season 2 premiere episode of Peacemaker. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026 Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2017, was an easy villain for Georgia fans to root against. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 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
  • They’re rooted in a time and place that feels all too real, and this allows the monsters to parade their primitive might in a way that means something.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
  • At this point in TV history, audiences had grown jaded by the monster-of-the-week style that every show used and abused, wanting more depth to their programming.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • Removing violent criminals, gang members, cartel members and those who refuse to work is wise and popular policy.
    — Don Bacon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Americans have demonized us as criminals, buffoons, lechers, invaders, criminals and job stealers since the fall of the Alamo.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In January, Watts was a guest on actor Rainn Wilson’s podcast, where Watts played devil’s advocate to Wilson’s skeptic about casual use of mind-altering substances.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • The Danish director’s Pusher trilogy (which was restored and rereleased last year) had been handheld, hyperrealistic, and savage; Drive, on the other hand, was ethereal and moody, its characters submerged, their delivery precise.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One of the best Saturday morning traditions during college football season is not only watching ESPN's best program on the network, College Gameday, but seeing the hilarious, savage, and unique signs fans put together each week.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • 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
  • But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of scoundrel
Noun
  • This week, Netflix features the latest installment in a legendary anime series, a Spanish-language thriller stuffed with social commentary, and a Canadian horror about a mysterious beast stalking an isolated fishing village.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, the one from that parable where six blind men describe a beast based on just one of its characteristics.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of beast

Browse Nearby Words

villages
villain
villainess
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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