as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
villainous behavior that made him one of the most notorious figures in history and gave rise to the legend of Dracula
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of villainous
Hackman would soon after play another villainous Western sheriff in 1995’s The Quick and the Dead, a performance which almost feels like an unofficial spinoff.
—
James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Jared Leto stars as the villainous Skeletor, while rounding out the cast are Idris Elba, Camila Mendes, Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy, and Alison Brie.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
There’s an apocryphal story among J.R.R. Tolkien fans that the fantasy author’s villainous portrayals of spiders were inspired by a childhood incident when a tarantula bit him.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Moore and Brave New World director Julius Onah also previously confirmed to EW that Esposito's Sidewinder will be back after debuting as the leader of the villainous Serpent Society.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Jared Leto stars as the villainous Skeletor, while rounding out the cast are Idris Elba, Camila Mendes, Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy, and Alison Brie.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
There’s an apocryphal story among J.R.R. Tolkien fans that the fantasy author’s villainous portrayals of spiders were inspired by a childhood incident when a tarantula bit him.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Moore and Brave New World director Julius Onah also previously confirmed to EW that Esposito's Sidewinder will be back after debuting as the leader of the villainous Serpent Society.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villainous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villainous
Adjective
-
Hot on the trail of a new brood of evil Mogwai, our heroes journey deep into the American West, coming up against new supernatural creatures and picking up a few mysterious characters along the way.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Fans have long waited to see how the show, produced by Skybound Entertainment, adapts this massive event from Kirkman's comics, which sees Angstrom (Sterling K. Brown) assemble an army of evil Marks from alternate dimensions to lay siege to Earth.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Under Taliban rule, morality laws are strictly enforced, and activities considered immoral or against Islamic principles—such as pornography, adultery, or LGBTQ+ content—are harshly punished.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Some view his proposal to take over Gaza as outlandish or immoral, and are no fans of Israel’s right-wing government.—
Katie Glueck,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Alsup’s order is a temporary measure that requires OPM to notify agencies that its directive was unlawful.—
Ashley Oliver,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Their actions have sparked numerous lawsuits, and on Thursday, a federal judge in California found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful.—
Kristin Brown,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Michelle Yeoh Yeoh may be in her villain era, but there's nothing sinful about her Louvre look.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
-
The dominant Christian theology of the Middle Ages held that wealth was inherently sinful in a world where most people toiled in terrible poverty.—
Brian Klaas,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
More than 80 women went public with horrific tales of his brutal, coercive and punishing tactics, including launching vicious, career-crippling smear campaigns against those who eluded him, from Mira Sorvino to Ashley Judd.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Rushdie has since spoken out about the stabbing Rushdie, 77, testified in the Chautauqua County, New York trial and detailed the vicious attack that upended his life.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
As are the people supporting or justifying these vile acts of terrorism.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Feb. 2025
-
And for anyone who's forgotten just how vile Whitfield is, the next scene serves as a nasty reminder.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In the years leading up to his voice work for the wicked prince hoping to woo Fiona, Everett worked as a writer, playwright and TV presenter.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Purveyor of brutal, bloody violence Timo Tjahjanto reminded us why Indonesia is an action-hub with a wicked end fight between Aurora Ribero and Hana Prinatina in Shadow Strays.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But doctors have begun to suspect that this year's flu season—the most severe in over 15 years—has taken a yet darker turn for children.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Master of maturation Andrea Wilson adds her own tasting notes, describing baking spice, dark fruit, toffee, fragrant citrus, and floral notes on the palate, followed by a round, complex finish.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
27 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to villainous
Cite this Entry
“Villainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villainous. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share