VILLAINS Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

villains

noun

plural of villain

as in brutes

a mean, evil, or unprincipled person only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom

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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 villains Different characters — villains and helpers — pop up along his journey, as well as different tools and weapons. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 But Zidar and Zwick are more interested in understanding them than in portraying them as heroes or villains. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026 Kicking ass in Cobra Kai, fighting villains in Blue Beetle and trying to dodge the Owens Curse in Practical Magic 2 is just another day in the office for Xolo Maridueña. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026 That approach forced Blake to abandon the sensibility that had characterized her work in television procedurals, where a lot of time is typically spent on the villains. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026 Not every comic-book story has to end with a brain-scrambling battle between gigantic armies of heroes and villains. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026 There are no villains in Possible Love; there are only people who are aware of others, and people who are not. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026 The Braves have the edge, but the Phillies are always wily little villains. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026 The villains always get the best lines — ask Shakespeare — and this is as close as Disney’s ever come to Hamlet. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for villains

Noun

These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.

— Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of brutes

Noun

Districts could be drawn that look like dinosaurs, steam locomotives or Frankenstein monsters.

— Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
However, the biggest influences behind the storytelling came from classic Universal monsters and the Hammer Film Productions horrors.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of monsters

Noun

Now federal investigators say criminals turned that everyday habit into a way to steal bank logins and drain accounts.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

The Police Department has cracked down on speeding and street racing in recent years using drones and other technology to nab offenders, Oldoerp said.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Five offenders entered a Green Oaks business early Wednesday and used crowbars and sledgehammers to break into gaming machines, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

— Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of offenders

Noun

When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

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
Players command Hawks, a former Republic officer, leading a customizable squad of diverse archetypes, including Jedi and scoundrels.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of scoundrels

Browse Nearby Words

villainousness

villains

villainy

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“Villains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villains. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of villains

noun

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