Word
villain
Phoneticsvil·lain, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈvɪɫən/
UK/vˈɪlən/
Definitions
01fictional character
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Theater
n. the 'bad guy' in a book, film, or play who works against the hero.
n. a character in a fictional narrative whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.
“The villain in the movie was much more interesting than the hero.”
“Modern screenwriters often attempt to humanise the villain by providing a complex backstory that explains their descent into criminality.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02wicked person
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a person who does very bad or cruel things in real life.
n. a person who is guilty or capable of great wickedness or a crime.
Español:villano
“The newspapers described the thief as a heartless villain.”
“History has often cast him as a villain, though recent biographies suggest his motives were more political than purely malicious.”
Antonyms
03feudal peasant
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic
n. a poor person who worked on a lord's land in the Middle Ages.
n. a feudal tenant entirely subject to a lord or manor to whom they paid dues and services.
“The villain worked the fields from dawn until dusk for his master.”
“The legal status of the medieval villain was complex, as they were technically free in relation to everyone except their own lord.”
Usage
Often spelled 'villein' in modern historical texts to distinguish it from the sense of a wicked person who is evil.
Synonyms
Etymology
Probably from Middle English vilein, from Old French vilein (modern French vilain), in turn from Late Latin vīllānus, meaning serf or peasant, someone who is bound to the soil of a Latin vīlla, which is to say, worked on the equivalent of a plantation in late Antiquity, in Italy or Gaul. Doublet of villein.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/villain
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0