I. ˈvilə̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English vilein, vilain, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin villanus, from Latin villa country house, country estate, village + -anus -an — more at villa
1. : villein
2. : a person of uncouth mind and manners : boor
3. : a person of depraved and malevolent character devoted to base or evil acts : one who deliberately plots and does serious harm to others
4. : a character in a story or play who opposes the hero
5. : a person or thing blamed for a particular evil or difficulty
the villain of the Government's case … is the paper's advertising director — Time
ozone, a form of oxygen, has been previously reported as a chief and elusive villain in the … smog problem — New York Times
Synonyms:
scoundrel , blackguard , knave , rascal , rogue , scamp , rapscallion , miscreant : these words as here considered all describe low, mean, and reprehensible characters. villain describes one utterly given to crime, evil, and baseness
are not made villains by the commission of a crime, but were villains before they committed it — John Ruskin
scoundrel may suggest blended worthlessness, meanness, and unscrupulousness
a crew of pirates … will elect a boatswain to order them about and a captain to lead them and navigate the ship, though the one may be the most insufferable bully and the other the most tyrannical scoundrel on board — G.B.Shaw
blackguard may suggest inveterate depravity; sometimes it is used as the antithesis of gentleman
you must employ either blackguards or gentlemen, or, best of all, blackguards commanded by gentlemen, to do butcher's work with efficiency and dispatch — Rudyard Kipling
knave may suggest sly trickery and deceit
cheating knaves gathered at the taverns
more fool than knave
rascal may suggest base dishonesty
your true rascal is today your only true citizen of the world. He plunders all nations without pride in one or prejudice against another — Eric Linklater
rogue may suggest the blended roughness and wiliness of a vagabond
sturdy rogues taking to the roads as highwaymen
scamp may describe one given to artful cheating, clever robbery, or interesting escapades
a scamp who had pinched pennies out of the teacups of the poor by various shenanigans, who was distributing his largess to divert attention from his rascality — W.A.White
rapscallion may refer to an ill-dressed rogue or rascal rarely successful
the rapscallions of the river, the Black Gangs — Meridel Le Sueur
miscreant may refer to a singularly conscienceless villain
a sordid glamour about imprisonment which makes the young miscreant feel important; he has the inverted satisfaction of being treated like a grown-up gangster — Times Literary Supplement
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English vilein, vilain, from Middle French, from vilein, vilain, n.
: of, being, or befitting a villain:
a. : of a base or depraved character : wicked , dastardly
b. : of low or common birth or origin