Meanings
plural anti-villains · alternative antivillain
- fictionAn antagonist who has or may have noble or honorable aims, but pursues them destructively.
As much the anti-hero initially as Thorpe is anti-villain, Tinley's function in the first volume is to expose to Catherine various modes of triviality and affectation.
1994, Alistair M. Duckworth, The Improvement of the Estate: A Study of Jane Austen's Novels, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, page 951 more example
The rise of the anti-hero as the protagonist of much of modern fiction was accompanied by the rise of what one might call the “anti-villain,” ironically understood as more interesting than his heroic counterpart.
2019, Martin Jay, “Sociology and the Heroism of Modern Life”, in Warren Breckman, Peter E. Gordon, editors, The Cambridge History of Modern European Thought: Volume II, The Twentieth Century, Cambridge University Press, page 19
Origin
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 反奸角
- 反奸角 (bou⁶ faat³ wu⁶)antagonist who have noble goals
Chinese Mandarin 反惡棍角色 /反恶棍角色
- 反惡棍角色 /反恶棍角色 (fǎnègùn juésè)antagonist who have noble goals
Czech antipadouch
- antipadouchantagonist who have noble goals
Esperanto kontraŭfiulo, kontraŭmaliculo
- kontraŭfiuloantagonist who have noble goals
- kontraŭmaliculoantagonist who have noble goals
Finnish antikonna, antipahis
- antikonnaantagonist who have noble goals
- antipahisantagonist who have noble goals
French anti-méchant
- anti-méchantantagonist who have noble goals
German Antischurke, Antibösewicht
- Antischurkeantagonist who have noble goals
- Antibösewichtantagonist who have noble goals
Greek αντικακός
- αντικακός (antikakós)antagonist who have noble goals
Italian anticattivo
- anticattivoantagonist who have noble goals
Japanese 反悪役
- 反悪役 (hanakuyaku)antagonist who have noble goals
Korean 반악당
- 반악당 (banakdang)antagonist who have noble goals
Polish antyzłoczyńca
- antyzłoczyńcaantagonist who have noble goals
Portuguese anti-vilão
- anti-vilãoantagonist who have noble goals
Romanian antiticălos
- antiticălosantagonist who have noble goals
Russian антизлодей
- антизлодей (antizlodej)antagonist who have noble goals
Spanish anti-villano
- anti-villanoantagonist who have noble goals
Swedish antiskurk
- antiskurkantagonist who have noble goals
Turkish anti-kötü adam
- anti-kötü adamantagonist who have noble goals
Vietnamese chống phản diện
- chống phản diệnantagonist who have noble goals
Cite this entry
anti-villain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-villain
“anti-villain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-villain. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anti-villain,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-villain.
Source: anti-villain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.