villainess

noun

Definition of villainessnext
as in villain

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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 villainess The drama stars Lim Ji-yeon as a dual-souled heroine, a struggling modern actress whose body is suddenly occupied by Kang Dan-shim, a cunning villainess from the Joseon era who fought her way to power. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026 After all, what would the Bond film franchise be without love interests, sidekicks and, of course, villainesses? — John Russell, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026 The show isn’t necessarily doing anything wildly off book — there are at least three other series about being reincarnated as the villainess in a fantasy story and failing at it. — Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025 Konoha Satou’s dark fictional past becomes her reality when she’s reincarnated as Iana Magnolia, the villainess of her own adolescent fantasy. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for villainess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainess
  1. villain
  2. scoundrel
  3. assassin
  4. savage
  5. reprobate
  6. gangster
  7. wretch
Noun
  • Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Saoirse Ronan is ready to step into the dark side and is doubling down on wanting to play a villain in the James Bond universe.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • That range runs from scoundrels to astromechs, and a Jedi is on the table too.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But Roy Cohn—an American scoundrel and the lawyer who helped send Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair, aided Senator Joseph McCarthy in implementing the Red Scare, and showed Trump the ropes in the real-estate business—was long gone.
    — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scoundrel
Noun
  • The would-be assassin was arrested by police and led investigators to two members of a Russian mob network who had enlisted him on behalf of Iran.
    — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Bannerman centers on the eponymous Paul Bannerman, a lethal covert operative who convinces a group of the world’s most deadly assassins to quit the spy game for a chance to lead normal lives in the suburbs of Connecticut.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Manson and his followers evaded police for months but were eventually arrested and charged in the savage slayings in December 1969.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For all its characteristic restraint and formal diligence, Killing Spree is a book that wants to make noise, to cut through the dead air with cries of grief and rage, undoing our own savage torpor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • Unlike Vegas with its cast of reprobates and wackos, this joint is classy and clean and just a wee bit indulgent.
    — David Weiss, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • They’re typically retired, sitting on pensions and 401(k)s, and may be naive to the techniques favored by con artists and reprobates who run riot on the internet.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of reprobate
Noun
  • Karp was also involved in the sale last week of a $21 million lot on Palm Island where a mansion owned by gangster Al Capone once stood.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The bodies start piling up – and business booms – but the growing enterprise puts the trio in the crosshairs of the powerful gangsters and underworld figures in the lawless border town of Saribgunj.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025
Definition of wretch

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villainess
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Cite this Entry

“Villainess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainess. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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