Villainy is a noun that refers to evilmorally very bad; causing harm or cruelty character or wickedmorally wrong and deliberately harmful behavior, and it can also mean a criminal or viciousvery cruel, violent, or aggressive act. It is a fairly formal word, often used in serious or literary contexts.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈvɪləni/
Easy pronunciation: VIL-uh-nee (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable: VIL.
Used here as a noun meaning evil or wickedness in character or behavior.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Villainy Meaning
evil or wickedness in a person’s behavior or character
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The quality of being evil or wicked because of bad behavior or character.
Example: The novel explores the villainy of its main antagonist.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- villainousness — A direct dictionary synonym for the quality of being villainous.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Villainy
Meaning 2
a cruel or criminal act
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A criminal or vicious act.
Example: They uncovered several acts of villainy during the investigation.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Villainy Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- villainousness
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use villainy to mean a villain, which is a person, not a quality or act.
- Do not confuse villainy with villainous, the adjective form.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does villainy mean?
Villainy means evil or wicked behavior, or a criminal or vicious act.
What is a simple definition of villainy?
It means wickedness or a bad, cruel act.
What are synonyms for villainy?
A strong synonym for the main meaning is villainousness. For the act sense, there are few direct one-word synonyms in the supplied data.
Is villainy a positive word?
No. It is a negative word used for evil or harmful behavior.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.