supervillain

noun

su·​per·​vil·​lain ˈsü-pər-ˌvi-lən 

plural supervillains

: a fictional villain having extraordinary or superhuman powers

In more recent years, [Jon] Cryer appeared as legendary supervillain Lex Luthor in the CW drama Supergirl.

—Martin Holmens

… the issue will feature Spider-Man facing off against the Sinister Six, which includes supervillains Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro and Kraven the Hunter …

—Jeremy Childs

also : a person or entity likened to a supervillain

On the show, [Elon] Musk suggests there is a "fast way and a slow way" to raise the temperatures of Mars before sharing the fast way is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The idea is greeted by [Stephen] Colbert calling Musk a supervillain, to which Musk just casually responds, "Yeah."

—AJ Dellinger

compare superhero, superheroine

Examples of supervillain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then Majors was arrested on domestic-violence charges — including choking his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, in March of that year — dropped by his management team, fired by Marvel (as the chief supervillain of its Phase 5 Avengers franchise), and convicted of assault and harassment. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025

Instead, Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. was brought back into the fold to play another supervillain, Doctor Doom. —Mike Miller, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2025

For those keeping track, her character – a highly skilled assassin – was a fundamental part of the superhero team known as the Avengers who gave her life in order to procure an Infinity Stone which ultimately defeated extraterrestrial supervillain Thanos and saved the universe. —Dan Heching, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025

D’Onofrio plays legendary Marvel supervillain Wilson Fisk, a.k.a Kingpin. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervillain

• ampicillin
• methicillin
• penicillin
• pyroxylin
• amoxicillin
• carbenicillin
• haematoxylin
• millon
• villain
• vanillin