as in evil
that which is morally unacceptable
psychologists and sociologists have tried to discover the roots of such unspeakable villainy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villainy
Cosby’s good guys do things that outpace the rankest villainy in the work of other crime writers.
—
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Penn, giving a brilliant performance of cold villainy that could win him a third Oscar, is unafraid of lancing the inherent goofiness of a fascist.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, Nellie’s villainy is discovered and she’s punished by her father, while Laura gets the guy.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
For Rollins to potentially allow his nemesis to achieve his dream of winning a world title, only to snatch it away moments later, would be a devastating and personal act of villainy.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainy
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Penn, giving a brilliant performance of cold villainy that could win him a third Oscar, is unafraid of lancing the inherent goofiness of a fascist.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, Nellie’s villainy is discovered and she’s punished by her father, while Laura gets the guy.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
For Rollins to potentially allow his nemesis to achieve his dream of winning a world title, only to snatch it away moments later, would be a devastating and personal act of villainy.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainy
Noun
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Money and jealousy are the root of the play’s evils, with more deadly sins released in a world of posh, uppity arrogance.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Its themes of kindness and resilience, of steadfast courage against evil, remain a source of inspiration for these readers, even as their feelings about the books are complicated by so much baggage.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads.—
Max Gao,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Jan. 2025
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Reports out of fall camp haven’t been super favorable to their offense, and while the defense will, again, be top-notch, a team with this bad of an offense cannot be trusted.—
Austin Mock,
The Athletic,
19 Aug. 2024
Noun
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On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Villainy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainy. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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