villainous

/ˈvɪlənəs/

Other forms: villainously

To be villainous is to be evil, wicked, and despicable, like a bad guy in a movie or a villainous bus driver who sees you but doesn’t stop.

Villains in stories are the bad guys, like Superman's enemy Lex Luthor or a mobster in a crime movie. Real-life bad people are also called villains, and anything evil is villainous. To murder someone is villainous. To steal a lot of money is villainous. This is a strong word for actions that are deliberately harmful and awful. You can’t be villainous by accident. The opposite of villainous is heroic.

Definitions of villainous

1. adjective

   extremely wicked
   “a villainous plot”

   “a villainous band of thieves”

   synonyms: dastardly, nefarious

   wicked

   morally bad in principle or practice