Villainous

//ˈvɪlənəs// adj

adj ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or appropriate to a villain.
  2. 2
    Wicked, offensive, or reprehensible in nature or behaviour; nefarious.

    "Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]"

Adjective
  1. 1
    extremely wicked wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
wickedabandonedabominablearrantatrociousawful

Example

More examples

"Contrary to popular belief and the propaganda of villainous oligarchs, there's plenty of space on earth for all of us."

Etymology

From Middle English vileinous, from Old French vileneus. By surface analysis, villain + -ous.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.