One murder makes a villain, millions a hero.
Source: tatoeba (27606)
Villain
/ˈvɪl.ən/
Synonyms for "villain" (243 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (49)
Strong matches (73)
Adjective(3 words)
Noun(35 words)
deceiverdelinquentdevildiseurdiseusedogdramatizerenervatedevildoerfat partfeederfelonfoilgangsterheavyheroheroinehistriohistrioningenue
Show 15 more words
juvenileknavelawbreakerleadlead roleleading ladyleading manleading womanlimblineslowlifemalefactormalevolentmalfeasantmalfeasor
Related words (121)
matinee idolmimemimermimicmischiefmiscreantmisfeasormobstermonologistmummerogreoutlawpantomimepantomimistpartpersonpersonagepieceplayactorplayer
Show 50 more words
precious rascalprotagonistprotean actorpublic enemyracketeerrapscallionrascalratreciterreprobatereptileroguerolerosciusrotterscalawagscampscoundrelshystersidesinnersneaksobsoubrettespalpeenstage performerstage playerstinkerstoogestraight manstraight partstrollerstrolling playersupporting charactersupporting roleswindlertheatricalthespianthieftitle roletransgressortrouperutility manviperwalk onwalk-onwalking partworker of illwretchwrongdoer
Noun(49 words)
Adjective(2 words)
ugly ogrewicked
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: baddie, scoundrel, actor, actress, adversary.
- Sentence evidence is available for villain, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "villain".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "villain"
Keep "villain" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "villain" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "villain", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "villain" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
9 entriesMore specific
2 entriesCollocations
5 entriesInflections
1 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
68 translations across 45 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- skurk noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Arabic
1 entries- شِرِّير noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Armenian
1 entries- չարագործ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Belarusian
1 entries- ліхадзе́й noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Bulgarian
1 entries- злоде́й noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Catalan
1 entries- vilà noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Chinese
1 entries- хулюҗин noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 反派 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- 奸角 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- 惡棍角色 /恶棍角色 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Czech
1 entries- záporný hrdina noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Danish
1 entries- skurk noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Dutch
1 entries- slechterik noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Finnish
3 entries- konna noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- pahis noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- roisto noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
French
1 entries- méchant noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Galician
1 entries- vilán noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Georgian
1 entries- ბოროტმოქმედი noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
German
3 entries- (fam) Oberböse noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- Bösewicht noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- Schurke noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Greek
1 entries- κακός noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Hebrew
1 entries- נָבָל noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Hindi
1 entries- खलनायक noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Hungarian
2 entries- gonosz noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- gonosztevő noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Irish
1 entries- bithiúnach noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Italian
1 entries- il cattivo noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Japanese
1 entries- 悪役 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Kannada
3 entries- ಪೋಕ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- ಪೋಕರಿ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- ಹೋಕ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Kazakh
1 entries- жауыз noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Korean
2 entries- 악당 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- 악역 noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Latin
3 entries- carnifex noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- persona negativa noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- scelerātus noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Macedonian
3 entries- злобник noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- негати́вец noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- никаквец noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Malay
1 entries- penjahat noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Malayalam
3 entries- കുറുക്കൻ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- ചതിയൻ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- വഞ്ചകൻ noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Marathi
1 entries- खलनायक noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Navajo
1 entries- ájígaléidii noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Persian
1 entries- بدذات noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Polish
3 entries- czarny charakter noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- złoczyńca noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- złol noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Portuguese
1 entries- vilão noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Romanian
3 entries- răufăcător noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- spirit rău noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- viclean noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Russian
2 entries- злоде́й noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- отрица́тельный геро́й noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- negatívac noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- негати́вац noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Slovene
1 entries- negativec noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Spanish
1 entries- villano noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Swahili
1 entries- mhalifu noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Swedish
2 entries- bov noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
- skurk noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Tamil
1 entries- வில்லன் noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Ukrainian
1 entries- лиході́й noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Vietnamese
1 entries- nhân vật phản diện noun (bad person in a stage or screen play)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
The same energy of character which renders a man a daring villain would have rendered him useful to society, had that society been well organized.
Source: tatoeba (413855)
Who's your favorite movie villain?
Source: tatoeba (908728)
A good man in an evil society seems the greatest villain of all.
Source: tatoeba (1044812)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "villain"?
Closest matches include baddie, scoundrel, actor, actress, adversary.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "villain"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.