supervillain

English

Alternative forms

• super-villain

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *úp

Proto-Indo-European *-er

Proto-Indo-European *upér

Proto-Italic *super

Latin super

Latin super-lbor.

English super-

English villain

English supervillain

From super- + villain.

Pronunciation

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Noun

supervillain (plural supervillains)

1. A fantasy-fiction criminal or evildoer, often with supernatural powers or equipment, in popular children's and fantasy literature who can present a credible challenge for a superhero.
   • 2026 April 21, Aisha Down, Robert Booth, “Palantir manifesto described as ‘ramblings of a supervillain’ amid UK contract fears”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     The US spy tech company Palantir published a manifesto extolling the benefits of American power and implying some cultures are inferior to others – in what MPs have called “a parody of a RoboCop film” and “the ramblings of a supervillain”.

Antonyms

• superhero

Derived terms

• supervillainess

Related terms

• superbeing
• superhuman
• superman
• superpower

Translations

a fictional criminal or evil-doer with superpowers

• Bulgarian: суперзлодей (superzlodej)
• Catalan: supervilà m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 超級反派 / 超级反派 (chāojí fǎnpài)

• Danish: superskurk c
• Esperanto: supermaliculo, superkrimulo
• Finnish: superroisto (fi), superrikollinen, superpahis
• French: super-vilain (fr) m
• Georgian: სუპერბოროტმოქმედი (suṗerboroṭmokmedi)
• German: Schurke (de) m, Superschurke m
• Greek: υπερεχθρός m (yperechthrós)
• Irish: sárbhithiúnach m
• Italian: supercattivo m
• Japanese: スーパーヴィラン (sūpāviran)
• Kazakh: суперзұлым (suwperzulım)
• Polish: superzłoczyńca m
• Portuguese: super-vilão
• Russian: суперзлоде́й (ru) m (superzlodéj)
• Spanish: supervillano m
• Swedish: superskurk c

See also

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