archvillain

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UK/ˌɑːtʃˈvɪlən/US/ˌɑɹt͡ʃˈvɪlən/

noun

A supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain.

OriginEnglish villain ← Middle English arch- ← Old English arċe- →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounarchvillain (plural archvillains)

plural archvillains · alternative arch-villain

  1. human sciencesA supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain.

    Madoff is the season's archvillain, accused of having run a Ponzi scheme so vast that future generations may well describe similar swindles as Madoff schemes.

    2009 January 6, Clyde Haberman, “We Know About the Mess. Please, Clean Up Carefully.”, in New York Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
archnemesis

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ergʰ-der.?
  3. Ancient Greekἄρχω (árkhō)
  4. Ancient Greekἀρχι- (arkhi-)
  5. Latinarchi-
  6. Old Englisharċe-
  7. Middle Englisharch-
  8. Englisharch-
  9. Englishvillain
  10. Englisharchvillain

From arch- (“chief, most extreme”) + villain.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish arkkivihollinen, arkkikonna
  • arkkivihollinena supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain
  • arkkikonnaa supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain
Polish arcywróg
  • arcywróga supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain
Portuguese arquivilão
  • arquivilãoa supreme villain; the most evil or powerful villain

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with archvillain

DylanDillonsillonvillein
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

archvillain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archvillain

MLA

“archvillain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archvillain. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “archvillain,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archvillain.

Source: archvillain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.