villainy

noun

vil·​lainy ˈvi-lə-nē 

plural villainies

1

: villainous conduct

also : a villainous act

2

: the quality or state of being villainous : depravity

Synonyms

• bad
• evil
• evildoing
• ill
• immorality
• iniquity
• sin
• wrong

Examples of villainy in a Sentence

a story of villainy and betrayal

the gruesome villainies of war

Recent Examples on the Web

While the show nails his glow-up from being a cowardly yakuza to becoming a major player in the Tojo clan, the climax fumbles his fall from grace by devolving his menace and inner turmoil into cartoonish villainy in the show’s finale. —Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024

So many movies depict tech bringing out the worst in people, leaving us with the sort of cop-out villainy of computers are bad! —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2024

For the perpetually put-upon Rhiannon, victimhood and villainy are two sides of the same coin. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024

The closest any of his star turns have come to villainy are the first and fourth Rambo films, but Rambo is Frankenstein’s monster, not Dracula. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

villainy

noun

vil·​lainy ˈvil-ə-nē 

plural villainies

: conduct or actions of or typical of a villain