villainy

noun

vil·​lainy ˈvi-lə-nē 

plural villainies

1

: villainous conduct

also : a villainous act

2

: the quality or state of being villainous : depravity

Synonyms

• bad
• evil
• evildoing
• ill
• immorality
• iniquity
• sin
• wrong

Examples of villainy in a Sentence

a story of villainy and betrayal

the gruesome villainies of war

Recent Examples on the Web

For the perpetually put-upon Rhiannon, victimhood and villainy are two sides of the same coin. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024

The closest any of his star turns have come to villainy are the first and fourth Rambo films, but Rambo is Frankenstein’s monster, not Dracula. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024

To pretend that a national tragedy was a personal villainy is a form of escapism and moral abdication. —Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Even many of the ex-President’s opponents haven’t grasped the scale of the man’s villainy. —Hannah Jocelyn, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

villainy

noun

vil·​lainy ˈvil-ə-nē 

plural villainies

: conduct or actions of or typical of a villain