as in brutes
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
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Recent Examples of villains
Together, the band brings to life a mythic world of ancient heroes and villains, attracting an excited audience of headbangers and fantasy fanatics, many of whom show up in costume.
—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
29 June 2026
Animation fans were in for a very tasty treat, as the episode introduced villains and set the tone for the brutal show adapted from the best-selling Vertigo series by the late Anthony Bourdain, co-created with Joel Rose.
—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
27 June 2026
But the rub this time is the introduction of Varang (Oona Chaplin), an unhinged leader of a tribe who allies herself with human villains.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Maybe, this Cape Fear suggests, Cady was innocent all along and Tom and Anna are the villains for putting him away.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
Trump’s great leaders were villains, not heroes.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
Sports needs villains, favorites, redemption arcs and players who generate conversations in living rooms, bars and on social media.
—
Dan Zaksheske Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
America’s wealthy are not villains.
—
Kam Shenai,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
In keeping with the promotion, the Sox players’ photos on the video board cast them as villains wearing black and eye patches.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
29 June 2026
Animation fans were in for a very tasty treat, as the episode introduced villains and set the tone for the brutal show adapted from the best-selling Vertigo series by the late Anthony Bourdain, co-created with Joel Rose.
—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
27 June 2026
But the rub this time is the introduction of Varang (Oona Chaplin), an unhinged leader of a tribe who allies herself with human villains.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Maybe, this Cape Fear suggests, Cady was innocent all along and Tom and Anna are the villains for putting him away.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
Trump’s great leaders were villains, not heroes.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
Sports needs villains, favorites, redemption arcs and players who generate conversations in living rooms, bars and on social media.
—
Dan Zaksheske Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
America’s wealthy are not villains.
—
Kam Shenai,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
In keeping with the promotion, the Sox players’ photos on the video board cast them as villains wearing black and eye patches.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villains
Noun
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These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
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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.
Noun
-
When the monsters reveal an evil agenda that goes beyond becoming movie stars, the Minions are forced to battle them to save the world.
-
In this end-of-the-world scenario, Jack thrives on junk food and video games while gathering a squad of classmates to fight of zombies and monsters.
Noun
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What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
-
That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Noun
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Deputies responded to the area and identified an undisclosed number of juveniles as the offenders, officials said.
-
Survivors have fought for a full public account of priests, with San Francisco the only diocese in the state that has not released such a list of clergy abuse offenders.
Noun
-
The 152 rooms celebrate Tasmania’s cultural and creative spirit, from the contemporary paintings of thylacines and Tasmanian devils, to the Blackheart sassafras ceiling inlays.
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But there are lots of potential devils in the details (otherwise there’d be little need for experimental reactors).
Noun
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Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another?
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The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages.
Noun
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In the movie, Furiosa is taken from her idyllic home by bandits and grows up shuttled between psychopath Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).
-
There are dogs, bandits, romances, political revolutions, philosophical debates.
Noun
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New Orleans has long been notorious for embracing such scoundrels, a reputation that isn’t exactly helped by the fact that, for many years, disgraced attorneys who lost their licenses in Louisiana and applied for readmission to the bar often got it.
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Political leaders who encourage or tolerate such scoundrels should be driven from office.
Cite this Entry
“Villains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villains. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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