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
The final scene of Gen V season 2 sees the young supes of Godolkin University now on the run after Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) exploded the school's villainous founder Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater), but they've been given a new purpose.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Season 2 of The Boys spinoff saw the superpowered college students in a battle against Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater), the villainous namesake of their school.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Although Adora leads a group of magical princesses and their friends against the villainous Lord Hordak and his evil Horde, she’s still drawn to her childhood best friend Catra (AJ Michalka), who’s been tapped as Hordak’s right-hand in her absence.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
By the end of the movie, which is far more upbeat than the Thomas Pynchon novel that inspired it, Bob discovers that the villainous Colonel Steven.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Season 2 of The Boys spinoff saw the superpowered college students in a battle against Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater), the villainous namesake of their school.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Although Adora leads a group of magical princesses and their friends against the villainous Lord Hordak and his evil Horde, she’s still drawn to her childhood best friend Catra (AJ Michalka), who’s been tapped as Hordak’s right-hand in her absence.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
By the end of the movie, which is far more upbeat than the Thomas Pynchon novel that inspired it, Bob discovers that the villainous Colonel Steven.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
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Like terrestrial monsters, evil aliens are often stand-ins for real-life anxieties.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Thia was sent to this dread planet by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the famously evil entity that haunts most of the Alien movies.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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The committee voted to ask Attorney General Josh Kaul to opine on whether grooming falls under the statute related to immoral conduct, which allows DPI to revoke a license if an educator violates it.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Christina Leona Cowens, 41, was initially arrested last week on suspicion of felony grand theft, along with misdemeanor counts of unlawful disposal of human remains and attempting to conceal a death.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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Several organizations have sued the administration, saying the cancellations were unlawful and that they are owed thousands of dollars in outstanding expenses.—
NPR,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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There have long been debates in churches about whether just listening to worldly music was sinful, let alone playing it.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
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No one knows the cake’s origin, but people like to offer theories on its name: Some say the word devil is a nod to the sinful dark chocolate, reminiscent of devil’s food cake.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But his preposterously wide net, his endless minions, and his vicious style left us no choice but to scale back on the data center theme.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
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Tommy's new relationship with Mireya Garcia (Carmela Zumbado) has sparked a face-off with her brother and the leader of the vicious drug gang Insane Princes, Miguel (Manuel Eduardo Ramirez).—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Players have faced vile fan reactions and even death threats for their failure to satisfy bettors in the moment.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Minnesota Vikings condemned the vile racist message defensive back Isaiah Rodgers received following the team’s 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With the launch of the Culling Game in the aftermath, 10 colonies from across Japan are transformed into dens of curses as part of a plot orchestrated by the most wicked sorcerer in history, Noritoshi Kamo.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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The rhymes are wicked smart, clever and memorable.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The sky was cloudless and dark with the moon’s light now below the horizon.—
Sheeka Sanahori,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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Bordered by antique wood pillar columns, the custom wood and glass front doors lead into a rotunda foyer displaying dark polished hardwood floors that run throughout the interiors.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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