as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
villainous behavior that made him one of the most notorious figures in history and gave rise to the legend of Dracula
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villainous
Tom Hiddleston, whose Loki fought against the Avengers before finding his Glorious Purpose in the Disney+ television series about the God of Mischief, Loki, will join the cast — whether in a good or villainous role is unknown.
—
Sharareh Drury, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Since then, there's been talk of Marvel recasting Kang with various actors, including Oscar nominee Colman Domingo, and Robert Downey Jr. signed on to play the villainous Doctor Doom who, like Kang, is a high-profile Avengers big bad from the comic books.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
There was her show, WandaVision, which then led to her villainous appearance in Multiverse of Madness.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Gyllenhaal, who plays the villainous Iago to Washington’s Othello, was joined by both his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and longtime partner, Cadieu.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Sharareh Drury, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Since then, there's been talk of Marvel recasting Kang with various actors, including Oscar nominee Colman Domingo, and Robert Downey Jr. signed on to play the villainous Doctor Doom who, like Kang, is a high-profile Avengers big bad from the comic books.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
There was her show, WandaVision, which then led to her villainous appearance in Multiverse of Madness.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Gyllenhaal, who plays the villainous Iago to Washington’s Othello, was joined by both his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and longtime partner, Cadieu.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
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While the practice of using haint blue to ward off evil spirits might not be as common, the color has bled into the mainstream, with major paint companies like Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries, Inc selling paint inspired by the shade.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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The royal palace is infested with evil spirits and one of them has taken hold of the young prince.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Regardless of what transpired between the two cast members, on or off screen, Aspen was unfairly portrayed as an immoral character.—
Taylor Crumpton,
Essence,
11 Apr. 2025
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We are limited to enforcing the law, not policing immoral behavior.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Catherine Pearson,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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That month, Drummond sued the board directly in the Oklahoma Supreme Court and asked it to rescind the charter contract and declare St. Isidore's establishment as a charter school unlawful.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sammie’s father is right to be concerned, but wrong about the sinful nature of the blues—Sinners depicts musical talent as a divine blessing, a power that can pierce the veil between worlds, for good or for ill.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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April 20: Projections showed A Minecraft Movie remaining atop the box office this Easter weekend, but audiences actually felt more sinful than predicted.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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With two hits, one hit-by-pitch and zero outs recorded, Williams then left the mound to a vicious chorus of boos as Aaron Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr. — not Weaver — from the bullpen.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The imitation Punisher logo on Cole’s bullet was no act of flattery, but the most vile of insults.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2025
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Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Based on the famed Brothers Grimm tale, the story follows a princess who is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make Snow White part of their household after she’s exiled into a dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2025
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The offence O’Reilly’s draft day scouting reports suggested the Oilers chose a middle-six centre (second or third line) with wicked checking ability and enough offence to project into a feature role if everything worked out.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This Georgia Rain style has a dark brown finish with distressing and burnishing for an antique appearance.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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The bigger screen sizes each sit on two flat, narrow feet that are dark gray metal.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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