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View synonyms for

villain

[ vil-uhn ]

noun

  1. a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  2. a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot.
  3. a person or thing considered to be the cause of something bad:

    Fear is the villain that can sabotage our goals.



villain

/ ˈɪə /

noun

  1. a wicked or malevolent person
  2. (in a novel, play, film, etc) the main evil character and antagonist to the hero
  3. humorous.
    a mischievous person; rogue
  4. slang:police.
    a criminal
  5. history a variant spelling of villein
  6. obsolete.
    an uncouth person; boor
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԱ, noun:feminine
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲ·l noun
  • ܲd·l noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of villain1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English vilein, vilain “churlish rustic, serf,” from Middle French, from Vulgar Latin and Medieval Latin Գܲ “a farm servant, farmhand”; villa, -an
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Word History and Origins

Origin of villain1

C14: from Old French vilein serf, from Late Latin īԳܲ worker on a country estate, from Latin: villa
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

As far as he’s concerned, she won’t be around to tell anyone, so he can openly monologue like a Bond villain all he wants.

From

“In Mexico there’s a perception that the United States is the villain of our story,” said historian Alejandro Rosas.

From

The Brighton boxer says he has learned to accept, even "relish", the villain tag.

From

The dregs of the British Empire could barely restrain their racism and classism, and Meghan was easily cast as a convenient villain.

From

Her high screen time percentage is the great equalizer, making her as much of a cartoon super villain as she is a dangerous and out-of-touch fearmonger.

From

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