villain

noun

1. A vile, wicked person.

   “Oh moſt pernicious woman! / Oh Villaine, Villaine, ſmiling damned Villaine!”

   “Thou ly’ſt thou ſhagge-ear’d Villaine.”

2. A vile, wicked person.
3. A vile, wicked person.
4. (archaic, derogatory)A low-born, abject person.

   “Note the preſumption of this Scythian ſlaue: I tel thee villaine, thoſe that lead my horſe Haue to their names tytles of dignitie, And dar’ſt thou bluntly cal me Baiazeth?”

5. A character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero; an antagonist who is also evil or malevolent.

   “Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.”

   “In some ways, it’s a relief to see tech bros, especially AI entrepreneurs, reach full, unambiguous movie-villain status.”

6. Any opponent player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: hero (“the current player”).

   “Let's discuss how to play if you are the chip leader (that is, if you have more chips than all the villains).”

7. (alt-of, archaic)Archaic form of villein (“feudal tenant, peasant, serf”).

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive)To debase; to degrade .