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
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Recent Examples of villainous
In late June, Christopher McDonald — who reprises his villainous, yet fan-favorite role as Shooter McGavin in the sequel film — praised the NFL star for his on-camera work.
—
Skyler Caruso, People.com, 24 July 2025
In the Rebels series finale, Jedi Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray) and the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn (Ahsoka‘s Lars Mikkelsen) were whisked away into deep space by star whales and had been missing for years.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 24 July 2025
In came Hollywood Hogan, the villainous leader of the New World Order.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 24 July 2025
That’s when The Last of Us star opened up about his preferences for facial hair when appearing onscreen after seeing himself clean-shaven as the villainous Maxwell Lord in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, starring Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Skyler Caruso, People.com, 24 July 2025
In the Rebels series finale, Jedi Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray) and the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn (Ahsoka‘s Lars Mikkelsen) were whisked away into deep space by star whales and had been missing for years.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 24 July 2025
In came Hollywood Hogan, the villainous leader of the New World Order.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 24 July 2025
That’s when The Last of Us star opened up about his preferences for facial hair when appearing onscreen after seeing himself clean-shaven as the villainous Maxwell Lord in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, starring Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
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Thanks to now-iconic moments like Bob Barker’s surprisingly physical cameo and a cast including Christopher McDonald as Happy’s cartoonishly evil rival Shooter McGavin, the movie became a cult classic.—
Skyler Trepel,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
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An evil wealthy guy who funds murderers to support his own sicko obsession?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Stigmatizing language portrays people who use drugs as immoral or criminal, pushing them away from care.—
Diana Fishbein,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
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If all rational, moral individuals wanted what the order provided, then critics were either irrational and uninformed or immoral and disingenuous.—
STACIE E. GODDARD,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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After the incident, the McCloskeys's were were seized by law enforcement, and they were charged with unlawful use of a weapon by St. Louis' former Democratic prosecutor, Kim Gardner.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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On July 12, 2024, Valdes was charged with one count each of first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in Kansas City, according to a Jackson County court document.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Growing up in rural Tennessee, my grandfather learned that certain activities — card playing, smoking, imbibing — were sinful.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
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The therapy was the most spiritual, calming and sinful experience of Ingrid’s life.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Coming less than a year after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the same neighborhood, which was widely regarded as an assassination motivated by contempt for the American health insurance industry, LePatner’s death prompted a similarly vicious response on social media.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
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Not to mention, antibiotics aren’t always effective at killing drug-resistant bugs, and each UTI leaves you more susceptible to future infections, creating a vicious cycle.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Arriving in London, Jess has a chance encounter with Felix (Will Sharpe), a broke musician, in a particularly vile pub toilet.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
17 July 2025
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The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Similarly, a text grappling with a wicked problem shouldn’t stay limited by the narrow confines of literary genre, instead blending journalism, memoir, fiction, and narrative nonfiction.—
Melody Glenn
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
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Stinging and 'wicked' Asian needle ants are spreading across the US Are invasive tawny crazy ants in Ohio?—
Kim Luciani,
The Enquirer,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Sophie's gun — which was an impulse buy just a few days back — is found and identified as the weapon that killed Abby. Sophie's quest to vindicate herself then leads to the unraveling of dark secrets, sketchy relationships, twisted small-town politics and more.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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Saturday's clip also clarified that the blue sections of the costume are a darker shade of the color — and more reflective — than earlier versions.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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