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
Spider also faces off with his villainous biological father, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who jumps into a fiery chasm and meets an uncertain fate.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor, who was a massive fan of the series, asked to cameo in the episode and appeared as the villainous Helena Cassadine.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Peter Greene, the character actor known for playing villainous roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2025
De Vil’s, a piano bar in honor of Cruella, is decked out in bold textures, red-black-white accents, and a dalmatian print piano that just serves big personality like the villainous character.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor, who was a massive fan of the series, asked to cameo in the episode and appeared as the villainous Helena Cassadine.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Peter Greene, the character actor known for playing villainous roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2025
De Vil’s, a piano bar in honor of Cruella, is decked out in bold textures, red-black-white accents, and a dalmatian print piano that just serves big personality like the villainous character.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
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Hefner the evil flesh merchant.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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In director John Boorman's extravagant sci-fi classic Excalibur (1981), the star played Morgana, King Arthur's estranged and evil half-sister.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In addition to being immoral, CFA’s support for BDS likely violates state law, AB 2844, which prohibits California from contracting with entities that engage in discrimination, including against Jews or Israelis.—
Mark Pinkert,
Oc Register,
23 Dec. 2025
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The film follows the deliciously immoral, widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who maneuvers, deceives and seduces her way through London and across her relatives' country estates in an effort to find a wealthy husband for herself and her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark).—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Troopers also seized an unregistered gun and ammunition from Cook, who is charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
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But once those moratoriums ended in 2023, unlawful detainers (a type of notice that can lead to eviction) doubled from June 2022 to June 2023.—
Saumya Roy,
The Dial,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Gettin’ sinful all of a sudden.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Tantric cultural and spiritual traditions, which began to emerge in the early centuries of the Common Era, take a positive perspective on the material world in general and the human body in particular, as opposed to traditions that regard both as inherently illusory or sinful.—
Anya Foxen,
The Conversation,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Officials charged Damon Leanord of Pleasanton, Kansas, with interference with law enforcement, having a vicious dog at large and criminal desecration of a body in Linn County and abandonment of a corpse charges in Bates County, Missouri, after finding the child’s body at the bottom of a creek bed.—
Sofi Zeman
January 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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He was shocked in 2013 when he was struck by vicious bouts of vomiting.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Removing a vile, brutal, and corrupt president without a clear transition plan, and relying on his former regime to deliver if for you, is not supporting democracy.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
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Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.—
The Los Angeles Times,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Park Chan-wook’s latest masterwork is a wicked comedy of capitalism and homicide.—
Ty Burr,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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So much so that a few of the most popular colorways sold out wicked fast.—
Ruby McAuliffe,
InStyle,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
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Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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