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villainess

American  
[vil-uh-nis] / ˈvɪl ə nɪs /

noun

  1. a villainous woman.


Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of villainess

First recorded in 1580–90; villain + -ess

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

She’s not evil, it’s this archetype that chases her: the deadly villainess, the villain behind the man.

From New York Times Jun. 7, 2022

But the infernal Agni knows, as does any reader familiar with “The Ramayana”: Kaikeyi is destined to play a villainess in the great game of gods and mortals.

From Washington Post Apr. 26, 2022

Cruella This is the second trailer for the upcoming origin story of the villainess from 101 Dalmatians and it makes me think we’re supposed to be rooting for Cruella?

From The Verge Apr. 11, 2021

Set, er, in 1984, the sequel will see her Amazonian warrior come up against Cheetah, a feline villainess played by Kristen Wiig.

From BBC Dec. 22, 2019

She pleaded with the villainess; told her how much she needed the job.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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