as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
villainous behavior that made him one of the most notorious figures in history and gave rise to the legend of Dracula
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Recent Examples of villainous
Mark Hamill follows up another 2025 King adaptation, The Life of Chuck, as a villainous character known as The Major.
—
Jack Smart, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Director Macon Blair originally thought of Dinklage for the movie's villainous CEO (played by Kevin Bacon), then decided Winston seemed a better fit.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Protagonist Naked Snake's disillusionment and descent into the villainous Big Boss is epic, tragic, and heartfelt.
—PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2025
Lynch, the women’s intercontinental champion and one of the top heels on the RAW roster, played up her villainous role to the crowd.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Jack Smart, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Director Macon Blair originally thought of Dinklage for the movie's villainous CEO (played by Kevin Bacon), then decided Winston seemed a better fit.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Protagonist Naked Snake's disillusionment and descent into the villainous Big Boss is epic, tragic, and heartfelt.
—PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2025
Lynch, the women’s intercontinental champion and one of the top heels on the RAW roster, played up her villainous role to the crowd.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
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When her mother leaves the room for a moment, she's accosted by a demonic entity that toys with her through funhouse-style reflections, creating this evil doppelganger of Judy.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
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The city has been taken over by a bunch of evil gangs and so the nerdy Scott Pilgrim and his pals, including Ramona Flowers and Lucas Lee come to the rescue.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Ladapo said the decision was not reached according to the data, but instead on his view that vaccine mandates are immoral and outside the scope of the government’s authority.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
7 Sep. 2025
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Even the paper’s biggest triumph—which, without giving too much away, brings it into direct conflict with its toilet-paper stablemate—involves a farcically immoral compromise that tramples the church-state divide between news and product sales (and, worse, isn’t all that funny).—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Green, of Jackson Township, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with Reid's death, according to Billhimer.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In an important variation, medieval soldiers returning from war regularly spent an extended period of penance in monasteries – a recognition of Catholicism’s teaching that any war is inherently sinful.—
Timothy Gabrielli,
The Conversation,
25 Aug. 2025
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Don’t dream of leaving without ordering a gigantic slice of the coconut cake with cream cheese frosting—sinful and certainly comforting.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Once infected, the body demands even more energy to fend off infection, leading to a vicious cycle.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Masked country crooner Orville Peck will keep his face covered while playing Vega, the vicious fighter who uses metal claws as one of his weapons.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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What's more, monsters like Alex Jones, the vile conspiracy theorist, claimed the shooting never happened and that the families of the victims were actors.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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His motives seemed as vile as his actions.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Both are wicked smart brainiacs on a tireless quest to do good in the world.—
Natasha Stoynoff,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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As the mystery unravels from multiple POVs, Alex’s kooky aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is revealed as the orchestrator of the tragedy — her fiery orange hair, nimble fingers, ghostly face and wicked crimson smile a memorable image that haunts the narrative.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, Lorraine has taught Judy to ward off her frightening visions by using a nursery rhyme, effectively teaching her to suppress her dark side.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Dolphins wear white jerseys at home for afternoon games, forcing opponents to wear darker colors that absorb more heat.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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