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- Dictionaryvillain/ˈvɪlən/
noun
- 1. (in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot: "a pantomime villain"
- 2. variant spelling of villein archaic
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VILLAIN definition: 1. a bad person who harms other people or breaks the law: 2. a criminal: 3. a character in a…. Learn more.
A villain is a stock character who opposes the hero and acts evilly in a narrative. Learn about the origin and evolution of the term, and how villains are portrayed in classical literature, folk and fairy tales, and modern media.
Learn the origin, synonyms, and usage of the word villain, which can mean a character in a story who opposes the hero, a deliberate scoundrel or criminal, or one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty. See examples of villain in sentences and related articles.
noun. a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel. Synonyms: scamp, rogue, rapscallion, rascal, knave. a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot.
1. a person guilty of or likely to commit great crimes; evil or wicked person; scoundrel. 2. a wicked or unprincipled character in a novel, play, etc. who opposes the protagonist or hero. 3. someone or something regarded as the cause of a problem, difficulty, injustice, etc. 4. alt. sp. of. villein.
A villain is a bad person — real or made up. In books, movies, current events, or history, the villain is the character who does mean, evil things on purpose. Today a villain is a wicked person, whether in fact or fiction.
The character in a play, novel, etc., whose evil motives or actions form an important element in the plot. Also transferred, esp. in villain of the piece. 1822. The fact is, you do not believe in such characters as Surface—the villain of artificial comedy—even while you read or see them.
