as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villain
Some environmental groups see profit-hungry utility companies as the main villains.
—
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s Lex Luthor set an incredibly high bar for cinema superhero villains that has seldom been matched (Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War come to mind).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Ulrich Thomsen will play Sinestro, a chief Lanterns villain of DC Comics.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s aggravation early on that directors didn’t seek out and exploit his comic and even improv talents was handled unforgettably in his portrayal of Superman villain Lex Luthor, a flamboyant oaf of Trumpian proportions.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s Lex Luthor set an incredibly high bar for cinema superhero villains that has seldom been matched (Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War come to mind).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Ulrich Thomsen will play Sinestro, a chief Lanterns villain of DC Comics.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s aggravation early on that directors didn’t seek out and exploit his comic and even improv talents was handled unforgettably in his portrayal of Superman villain Lex Luthor, a flamboyant oaf of Trumpian proportions.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
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Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
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The same Cromwellian brutes that persecuted witches in the English village of Warboys in 1589 are alive and well today to bully LGBTQ folks, immigrants, physicians trying to save lives of pregnant women and even scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Potgieter is usually a monster off the tee, leading the tour in driving distance coming into the week.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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The soldiers, both in the streets and at guard posts, fired their weapons, trying to prevent the moon from being eaten by a mythical monster frog called Reahou.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The closing scene is Trump relaxing on a sun lounger next to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is widely portrayed as a devil in Gaza.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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At that point, Taiwan’s survival would depend entirely on U.S. military warships and aircraft rapidly arriving and entering into the conflict—a massive gamble for Taipei and a devil’s choice for the United States.—
Jennifer Kavanagh,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Only criminal hacking is a crime, and not all hackers are criminals.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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Officers says there are many reasons people use fake plates: criminals hoping to avoid being tracked by law enforcement, evading fines on toll roads, or people trying to find a way to drive without a driver’s license or insurance.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The music inspires its creatures, and vice versa — like the Altamaha-ha, a legendary water beast that hails from stories told around the Altamaha River in Georgia.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
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At his peak, Bosa was a beast to keep out of opponents’ backfields.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Orange County Register,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Giacomo Casanova, who lived from 1725 to 1798, was a lawyer, a writer, an adventurer, a gambler and a scoundrel who found himself on the wrong side of the law.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
The Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2025
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Now that movie’s writer-director, Leigh Whannell, has returned to bring another classic fiend into the 21st century, with Poor Things scoundrel Christopher Abbott as a family man who starts feeling a little hairy after a full-moon encounter at his childhood home.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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With Kelby Collins coming in as a transfer, there’s enough depth at bandit for Latham to spend more time at wolf.—
Kennington Smith III,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Try to distract the bandits one at a time until everyone but Casper is left.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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