Basic Details
Word: Villain
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The wicked character in a story, play or film; also a person who commits crimes.
Synonyms: wrongdoer, scoundrel, rogue, criminal
Antonyms: hero, heroine
How to Spell Villain
Syllables: vil - lain
Tricky part: Double l, then ai, then n. The ending sounds like 'lun', so students write villian, swapping the vowels, or villan.
Watch out for: villian, villan, vilain
Memory tip: The villain hides in the villa: villa + in = villain. Say it as villa-in when you write it.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Gabbar Singh in Sholay is one of the best-known villains in Hindi cinema.
Example 2: In our school play, Aman enjoyed playing the villain more than the hero.
Example 3: The real villain of the mystery turned out to be the friendly old gardener.
Fun Fact
In the Middle Ages, a villain (also spelt villein) was just a farm worker on a lord's estate. The meaning 'wicked person' grew out of snobbery towards poor country people.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The aivnlil of the film wore a long black coat and never once smiled.
a) villain
b) vanilla
c) villa
d) vigil
Show answer
a) villain. Vanilla needs a second a, and villa and vigil are too short for these seven letters.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word villain as used in the sentence:
In the final scene, the villain is caught trying to escape through the back door with the stolen jewels.
a) rogue
b) hero
c) scoundrel
d) criminal
Show answer
b) hero. Rogue, criminal and scoundrel are other words for a villain; the hero stands against him.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. protagonist 2. villian 3. scoundrel 4. accomplice
a) a wicked character in a story or film
b) a dishonest or cruel person
c) a person who helps another to commit a crime
d) the main character in a story
Show answer
a) a wicked character in a story or film. Villain ends in -ain; protagonist, scoundrel and accomplice are spelt as the dictionary has them.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which character is usually the villain in a fairy tale?
a) the wicked witch
b) the clever princess
c) the brave prince
d) the kind fairy
Show answer
a) the wicked witch
2. Villain comes from the same Latin word as ____.
a) village
b) violin
c) vigil
d) valley
Show answer
a) village
