as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 villain
Some films, such as The Fly and The Wasp Woman, even experimented with human-insect hybrid villains.
—
Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
This is how Ren Leach describes Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), also known as the iconic Batman villain The Penguin, in Max’s limited series of the same name.
—Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
Which is that Dorit is clearly the villain this season.
—Laura Martin, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
Also key in the Nightmare voice cast was Broadway veteran Page, who was the speaking and singing voice of the movie’s main villain Oogie Boogie.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for villain 
Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
This is how Ren Leach describes Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), also known as the iconic Batman villain The Penguin, in Max’s limited series of the same name.
—Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
Which is that Dorit is clearly the villain this season.
—Laura Martin, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
Also key in the Nightmare voice cast was Broadway veteran Page, who was the speaking and singing voice of the movie’s main villain Oogie Boogie.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
-
The Penguin's Falcone is every bit the misogynistic brute, but his actions are relegated to the off-screen imagination by being implied, rather than shown.Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024
-
The part originally played by Timothy Olyphant has been taken over by Adam Driver—a specialist in magnetic brutes—whose recent movie roles have tended to be titular titans of industry and/or guys with accents.Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Frankly, this is a hard argument to dispute, but the guy is ultimately the movie’s monster, so his ideology has to be sufficiently challenged by the time the credits roll.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
-
Hung was also instrumental in creating the jiangshi genre of horror kung fu in the 1980s, inspired by his childhood love of ghosts and monsters.Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) has been eating away at the population of Tasmanian devils and re-introducing the thylacine might not do the devil any favors.Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
-
He’s figured out what his father tried to tell him the hard way: Sometimes, a mere glance at a devil’s bargain is enough to strike a signature and a seal.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Its undeniably a humanitarian crisis and a very real security threat because of drug cartels, criminals and terrorists crossing the border.Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
-
The Jordanians will soar like eagles to hunt you down, one criminal after another.Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
-
Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
Most in Becker's comment section agree—modern beauty standards are a beast, and social media is feeding it, but some voices are growing more powerful in their dissent.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
-
Intending to shoot a documentary, Patrick heads into the belly of the beast.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
You are being forced to surrender your country without a fight to the gang of traitors, thieves, and scoundrels who have seized power.Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
-
Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
But the pandemic-era inflationary period played out unlike any other in history, and wealthy people made out like bandits.Allison Morrow, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
-
When the film starts, a cursed bandit of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) are aboard Sparrow’s former ship, the Black Pearl, and have kidnapped Turner’s love interest, Elizabeth Swann (Knightley).Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near villain
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share