villainess

noun

vil·​lain·​ess ˈvi-lə-nəs How to pronounce villainess (audio)
: a woman who is a villain

Examples of villainess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Sister to Cynthia Erivo’s would-be villainess Elphaba, the character uses a wheelchair and, in Wicked: Part Two (in theaters Nov. 26, 2025), becomes the Wicked Witch of the East who terrorizes Munchkinland. Jack Smart, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024 Before Blanchett played the Evil Stepmother of 2015’s Cinderella, Wiegler was the actress’s first stab at a fairy-tale-like villainess, rocking a white-trash accent offset by her sleek outfits and lethal skills with a gun. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024 As Jennifer, Zamata will be a key member of the coven led by the titular Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), the villainess still reeling from the loss of her witchy magic a la Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) revenge. Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2024 Bob Odenkirk is reprising his role as mild-mannered family man who is secretly a former government assassin, while Sharon Stone is cast as the stone-cold villainess of the piece. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See all Example Sentences for villainess 

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of villainess was in 1586

Dictionary Entries Near villainess

Cite this Entry

“Villainess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/villainess. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

villainess

noun
vil·​lain·​ess ˈvil-ə-nəs How to pronounce villainess (audio)
: a woman who is a villain

More from Merriam-Webster on villainess

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