villain
evil character in a story
A bad person in a story who fights against the hero and does very wrong or cruel things.
[someone] is the villain in [a story or movie]
- In this movie, the villain is a brilliant hacker who tries to crash the world’s financial markets.
- The story is interesting because the villain is more complex than the hero.
- Kids sometimes prefer the villain because he has cooler costumes and lines.
- The actor is tired of always playing the villain in action films.
- The twist at the end reveals that the friendly neighbor was the true villain all along.
- The villain in the film wants to kill the hero.
- In this story, the villain is a rich man who lies to everyone.
- My little brother likes the villain more than the hero.
- The villain wears black clothes and has a deep voice.
person blamed for serious harm
A person people blame for a very bad or harmful situation in real life.
[someone or something] is the villain in [a situation or event]
- Many people see the tobacco industry as the real villain behind rising cancer rates.
- The press quickly chose a villain for the scandal, even before all the facts were known.
- In debates about climate change, fossil fuel companies are often cast as the villains.
- Social media sometimes turns ordinary disagreements into stories with clear heroes and villains.
- Historians now question whether he was truly a villain or simply a convenient target for blame.
- Some people say fast food is the main villain in our health problems.
- After the accident, the media made him the villain.
- In this news story, the company is the villain, and the workers are the victims.
- Sugar is often called the villain in modern diets.
playfully bad or cheeky person
A fun, joking way to call someone bad when they do something small and not really harmful.
call [someone] a villain for [small bad action]
- You little villain, you ate the last slice of cake!
- He grinned like a charming villain after pulling the prank on his friends.
- She called him a villain for secretly planning the surprise party.
- Come back with my phone, you villain, before you read my messages.
- The movie treats the thief more as a lovable villain than a serious criminal.
- You villain, you took my chair.
- He is a bit of a villain, but we all like him.
- She laughed and called her son a little villain when he hid her keys.
- My friends say I am a villain because I always win the game.
- Base: villain
- Plural: villains
cast someone as the villain
1present someone as the bad one
To describe or show a person as the bad one who caused a problem.
- The media quickly cast her as the villain in the corruption scandal.
- He felt the movie unfairly cast his country as the villain in history.
- After the breakup, she was cast as the villain by many of their friends.
make someone out to be the villain
1portray someone as to blame
To talk about someone so that other people think this person is the bad one who caused the problem.
- I’m not the one who lied, so stop making me out to be the villain.
- The article makes the teachers out to be the villains for problems they didn’t create.
- He always makes his parents out to be the villains when he tells the story.
paint someone as the villain
1describe someone as the bad one
To talk about someone in a way that makes people think this person is the main bad person in a situation.
- The report paints the former director as the villain who blocked all reform.
- Some news stories painted the protesters as the villains, while others praised them as heroes.
- He felt the biography painted his father as the villain of the family.
play the villain
1take the bad-person role
To act as the bad person, either in a story or in a situation in real life.
- He usually plays the villain in action movies.
- In our family arguments, I often end up playing the villain so everyone else can feel like the hero.
- The coach decided to play the villain and cut two popular players from the team.
the villain of the piece
1person blamed for a problem
The person or thing that people say is the main cause of a bad situation.
- In many diet books, sugar is described as the villain of the piece.
- The investigation showed that poor planning, not one single manager, was the real villain of the piece.
- By the end of the documentary, the company’s CEO clearly emerges as the villain of the piece.