- the main bad character in a story, play, etc.
- He often plays the part of the villain.
Extra ExamplesTopics Film and theatreb2, Literature and writingb2- He doesn't fit the standard stereotype of a movie villain.
- He has played villains in most of his films.
- He wore a black cloak, like a pantomime villain.
- The Queen in ‘Snow White’ is one of film's greatest villains.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- movie
- pantomime
- screen
- …
- cast somebody as
- play
- catch
- …
- the villain of the piece
- a person who is morally bad or responsible for causing trouble or harm
- the heroes and villains of the 20th century
- Industrialized nations are the real environmental villains.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesb2- He felt that the insurance companies were the real villains in all this.
- She seems to have cast me as the villain in her latest emotional upheaval.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- movie
- pantomime
- screen
- …
- cast somebody as
- play
- catch
- …
- the villain of the piece
- (informal) a criminal
- The police still haven't caught the villain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- movie
- pantomime
- screen
- …
- cast somebody as
- play
- catch
- …
- the villain of the piece
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘a rustic, boor’): from Old French vilein, based on Latin villa.
Idioms
See villain in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarythe villain of the piece
- (especially humorous) the person or thing that is responsible for all the trouble in a situation
- It’s hard to identify the real villain of the piece in this case.
Check pronunciation:
villain