# villain

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈvɪl.ən/ · frequency rank #8,624

## Definitions
1. A vile, wicked person.
2. A vile, wicked person.
3. A vile, wicked person.
4. A low-born, abject person.
5. A character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero; an antagonist who is also evil or malevolent.
6. Any opponent player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: hero (“the current player”).
7. Archaic form of villein (“feudal tenant, peasant, serf”).

## Etymology
Probably from Middle English vilein, from Old French vilein (modern French vilain), in turn from Late Latin vīllānus, meaning serf or peasant, someone who is bound to the soil of a Latin vīlla, which is to say, worked on the equivalent of a plantation in late Antiquity, in Italy or Gaul. Doublet of villein.

## Easily confused with
- **violin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/villain-vs-violin)
- **villainy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/villain-vs-villainy)
- **villa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/villa-vs-villain)
- **village** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/village-vs-villain)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ivllain`, `vilain`, `vilalin`, `villainn`, `villani`, `villian`, `vlilain`, `vvillain`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/villain