villainous
Americanadjective
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having a cruel, wicked, malicious nature or character.
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of, relating to, or befitting a villain.
villainous treachery.
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outrageously base, wicked, or vile.
a villainous attack on his character.
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very objectionable or unpleasant; bad; wretched.
a villainous storm.
adjective
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of, like, or appropriate to a villain
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very bad or disagreeable
a villainous climate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of villainous
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at villain, -ous
Explanation
To be villainous is to be evil, wicked, and despicable, like a bad guy in a movie or a villainous bus driver who sees you but doesn’t stop. Villains in stories are the bad guys, like Superman's enemy Lex Luthor or a mobster in a crime movie. Real-life bad people are also called villains, and anything evil is villainous. To murder someone is villainous. To steal a lot of money is villainous. This is a strong word for actions that are deliberately harmful and awful. You can’t be villainous by accident. The opposite of villainous is heroic.
Vocabulary lists containing villainous
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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One for the Murphys
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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.
But as is, Rhaenyra’s sudden turn into a decisive leader with villainous potential only emerged in the last 30 minutes of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“She’s such a delicious character because she’s so villainous, but she’s also desperate and insecure and trying to survive,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The actor played the villainous Black Manta in DC’s “Aquaman” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” and his film roles have included “Ambulance,” “Us,” “The Greatest Showman” and 2021’s reboot of the horror classic “Candyman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Though the web series centres around women, Shah says they took care to ensure men in Chiraiya are not frothing-at-the-mouth villainous caricatures.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
Granted, the kids in my neighborhood would have taken candy by the fistful while cackling with villainous laughter, and they probably would have peed on the note for good measure.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
