villain

noun

vil·​lain ˈvi-lən 

1

: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero

2

: a deliberate scoundrel or criminal

3

: one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty

… witness the wolf, at once ecological hero and agricultural villain.

—Ben Goldfarb

4

: villein

5

: an uncouth person : boor

Synonyms of villain

• brute
• monster
• criminal
• devil
• savage
• offender
• scoundrel
• beast
• bandit
• assassin

Examples of villain in a Sentence

He plays the villain in most of his movies.

She describes her first husband as a villain who treated her terribly.

Don't try to make me the villain. It's your own fault that you're having these problems.

Recent Examples on the Web

What all three films have in common, aside from various intersections and overlaps in their stories, is their repositioning of tech billionaires as the new screen villains. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

But every character here feels original and individual, even a pair of seeming villains introduced halfway through. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Where Simmons is the victor of the Tarrant County Democrats, O’Hare is the villain. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026

Advertisement Artificial is a story of unchained ambitions and betrayals, with its Altman an unqualified villain. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vilain, vilein, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin villanus, from Latin villa

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Rhymes for villain

• millon
• amoxicillin
• carbenicillin
• ampicillin
• methicillin
• penicillin
• pyroxylin
• vanillin

Kids Definition

villain

noun

vil·​lain ˈvil-ən 

1

: villein

2

: an evil person : scoundrel

3

: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero