villain

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vil·lain / ˈvilən/ • n. 1. a person guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness. ∎  the person or thing responsible for specified trouble, harm, or damage: the industrialized nations are the real environmental villains. ∎  (in a play or novel) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. 2. archaic variant spelling of villein.DERIVATIVES: vil·lain·ess / ˈvilənəs/ n.