US /ˈvɪlən/ UK /ˈvɪlən/
noun

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a wicked person, especially the chief evildoer in a story

    The villain of the play was hissed at by the audience.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a wicked person, especially... scoundrelrogueknavemiscreantblackguardfiend
Opposites
Word family
Derived forms villainousvillainy
Related forms villeinvillagevilla

Etymology

From Old French 'vilain' ('peasant, farmhand, churl'), from Late Latin 'villanus' ('farmhand'), from Latin 'villa' ('country house, farm'). The moral sense ('scoundrel') arose from class contempt for the rustic.

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