supervillain

noun

su·​per·​vil·​lain ˈsü-pər-ˌvi-lən 

plural supervillains

: a fictional villain having extraordinary or superhuman powers

In more recent years, [Jon] Cryer appeared as legendary supervillain Lex Luthor in the CW drama Supergirl.

—Martin Holmens

… the issue will feature Spider-Man facing off against the Sinister Six, which includes supervillains Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro and Kraven the Hunter …

—Jeremy Childs

also : a person or entity likened to a supervillain

On the show, [Elon] Musk suggests there is a "fast way and a slow way" to raise the temperatures of Mars before sharing the fast way is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The idea is greeted by [Stephen] Colbert calling Musk a supervillain, to which Musk just casually responds, "Yeah."

—AJ Dellinger

compare superhero, superheroine

Examples of supervillain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The story follows supervillain Plankton, still plugging away trying to take over the world, but this time his plans are thwarted by his supercomputer wife Karen. —Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2025

Maybe this redundant speech by a B-list supervillain will motivate the new Cap to do exactly that. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

In The Penguin, the Max supervillain drama, Colin Farrell plays Oz, a low-level criminal with kingpin dreams. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024

And this series does have some twisty-turny, nearly implausible plotlines, including a serial killer whose weapon of choice is anesthesia, a supervillain who attempts to poison a city’s water system, and a killer who locks victims in an ice-fishing cage. —Andrea Duncan-Mao, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervillain

• ampicillin
• methicillin
• penicillin
• pyroxylin
• amoxicillin
• carbenicillin
• haematoxylin
• millon
• villain
• vanillin