Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of villain

34 similar words · 1 opposite word

Another word for villain is rogue. Other synonyms of villain are cad, undesirable, rascal, scoundrel and miscreant. The opposite of villain is hero.

Synonyms and similar words for villain

nounA character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero; an antagonist who is...

nounMore synonyms

  • knaveA tricky, deceitful fellow; a dishonest person.
  • rascalA dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.
  • scamp
  • cadA low-bred, presuming person; a mean, vulgar fellow, especially one that cannot be trusted with a lady.
  • antimodelSomebody or something that serves as the opposite of a model, representing what one does not want to be or achieve.
  • bad guyA villain, particularly an antagonist in a story.
  • baddieA person of bad character, especially in a work of fiction.
  • bastard
  • beggarA mean or wretched person; a scoundrel.
  • blackguardAn unprincipled, contemptible person; an untrustworthy person.
  • bounder
  • evildoerA person who performs evil acts.
  • heavy informalA villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
  • miscreantOne not restrained by moral principles; an unscrupulous villain.
  • ne'er-do-well
  • rapscallionA rascal, scamp, rogue, or scoundrel.
  • rogueA scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person.
  • scabA mean, dirty, paltry fellow.
  • scapegraceA wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.
  • scoundrelA mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a person without honor or virtue.
  • scum
  • scumbag
  • thug
  • undesirableAn undesirable person.
  • varlet
  • cockatrice archaicAn evil, deceitful, or destructive person.
  • coistril obsolete
  • fustilarian obsoleteA low fellow; a stinkard; a scoundrel.
  • harlot obsoleteA churl; a common man; a person, male or female, of low birth, especially one given to low conduct.
  • lidderon archaic, dialectalOne who is lazy, idle, or bad; rascal; scoundrel; a weakling.
  • makeshift obsolete
  • niding archaic
  • nithing archaicA wicked person; also, one who has acted immorally or unlawfully.

Opposite of villain

nounMore antonyms

  • heroThe current player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: villain (“any opponent...

Meaning of villain

  1. noun A vile, wicked person.
  2. noun An extremely depraved person, or one capable or guilty of great crimes.
  3. noun A deliberate scoundrel.

Full definition of villain

villain in other languages

Questions about synonyms of villain

What is another word for villain?
Villain has 34 synonyms on Word.ws, such as rogue, cad, undesirable, rascal, scoundrel and miscreant.
What is the opposite of villain?
The opposite of villain is hero.
What does villain mean?
Villain means a vile, wicked person.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: villain (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of villain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/villain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.