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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

villain.

A vile, wicked person.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈvɪl.ən//ˈvɪl.jən/dialectal
  1. A vile, wicked person.

  2. A vile, wicked person. An extremely depraved person, or one capable or guilty of great crimes.

  3. A vile, wicked person. A deliberate scoundrel.

  4. A low-born, abject person.

    archaic · derogatory
  5. A character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero; an antagonist who is also evil or malevolent.

  6. Any opponent player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: hero (“the current player”).

    Let's discuss how to play if you are the chip leader (that is, if you have more chips than all the villains).
  7. Archaic form of villein (“feudal tenant, peasant, serf”).

    alt-of · archaic
Where this word comes from

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. Compare typologically pagan (see more).

verb/ˈvɪl.ən//ˈvɪl.jən/dialectal
  1. To debase; to degrade .

    obsolete · transitive
Where this word comes from

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. Compare typologically pagan (see more).

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.