Meaning of “villain” in the English Dictionary

English

"villain" in English

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villainnoun

uk ​ /ˈvɪl.ən/ us ​ /ˈvɪl.ən/

› [ C ] a bad person who harms other people or breaks the law:

Some people believe that Richard III was not the villain he is generally thought to have been.
He's either a hero or a villain, depending on your point of view.

› [ C ] UK informal a criminal:

Bert's just a small-time villain.

› [ C ] a character in a book, play, film, etc. who harms other people:

He made his reputation as an actor playing villains.

› [ C usually singular ] informal something or someone considered harmful or dangerous:

We've always been told that cholesterol was a major cause of heart disease but, actually, saturated fat is the worst villain.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

villain of the piece

(Definition of “villain” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"villain" in American English

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villainnoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˈvɪl·ən/

› a bad person who harms other people or breaks the law, or a cruel or evil character in a book, play, or film:

In her version of the story, Hoover emerges as the villain.

(Definition of “villain” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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