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
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 villain
The frightened campers are supposed to deliver the scares — but that only works as a set-up if the villain is lurking behind the next tree.
—
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The place, all cavernous rooms filled with Roman statues and pagan imagery, looks like the lair of a ’70s Bond villain.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
This might be my last villain for quite a while.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The complex portrayal wasn’t that far from Göring, who was the guy behind the guy atop the Nazi hierarchy who on the surface was a charming narcissist reputed to be a great dinner party guest, but was at heart a cunningly manipulative villain.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The place, all cavernous rooms filled with Roman statues and pagan imagery, looks like the lair of a ’70s Bond villain.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
This might be my last villain for quite a while.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The complex portrayal wasn’t that far from Göring, who was the guy behind the guy atop the Nazi hierarchy who on the surface was a charming narcissist reputed to be a great dinner party guest, but was at heart a cunningly manipulative villain.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
-
Each fits into typical RPG classes — with Armon being the close combat brute, Harlow the magical crowd control specialist, Rafa the agile rogue, and Vex serving as a summoner who calls on minions to do the dirty work.—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Mihály is a brute who mistreats his mother.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This quiz invites you to explore the darker corners of sci-fi literature, where monsters lurk not just in shadows, but in laboratories, alien worlds and post-apocalyptic wastelands.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
As a smooth fixer for a tertiary monster who has maybe three lines, Morgan Spector is both chilling and thoroughly pointless.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
If his dad is his guardian angel, looks like Dexter now has a devil on his shoulder, too.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
-
There is a background pattern on those stripes that depicts a devil, for some reason, but otherwise this is simple, effective and identifiably Milan.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican running in the 2026 race for governor, said the ban showed Newsom and Democratic lawmakers care more about the safety of criminals than officers.—
Gerardo Zavala,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Now, Morgan faces her own enemies, including one criminal who starts to target her three children, crossing even her unconventional boundaries.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 'Kill Tony' host, Hinchcliffe, famously appeared at last year's massive Netflix roast for Tom Brady and generated buzz for his savage lines aimed at the NFL legend.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of a sense of outrage leading to a search for a better solution for repeat violent offenders, her death generated calls for collective retribution and vigilante justice.—
Zeynep Tufekci,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For Lesnar, a win keeps the beast image intact and elevates him ahead in future feuds.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Almost every song is a lumbering beast so thoroughly composed of bits and pieces from the very best of the entire British popular music tradition as to make each feel inevitable, and the intensity doesn’t let up much until the final track.—
Jesse Adams,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet, bizarrely, the TV show undercuts this angle by inventing a serial killer nurse from whole cloth, a move that shifts the blame away from systemic forces and toward a motiveless scoundrel.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The movie, with Baranov as its scoundrel tour guide, works its way through some of 21st century Russia’s greatest hits of deception.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share