archvillain

1 8.0

The main enemy in a story who is very powerful and evil

noun
/ˈɑrkˌvɪlən/

: archvillano

Director Don Sharp (The Four Feathers) does a nice job of bringing Sax Rohmer's pulpy world to life in The Face of Fu Manchu, the first of five films to feature Christopher Lee as the titular archvillain.

Examples

To be fair, France wasn't obsessed with a rival, an archvillain superfoe, in the Cold War, causing "socialist" to be a not-very-inaudible dog whistle for "communist."

Blog text (26)
In many superhero comics, the archvillain often has a complicated backstory that makes them intriguing.
But the archvillain that I've seen this year...

Harry Brown (2009)
Don't you know anything about archvillains?

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018)
Not the somber smile of an archvillain contemplating his sinister machinations; no, this was the smile of someone who knows a devilishly funny joke and is about to let you in on it.

Fiction book (1998)
The archvillain in the movie plotted to take over the world with a powerful device.
Fans of the series eagerly awaited the return of the archvillain who had been defeated in the last installment.

Synonyms

bad guy

vsarchvillain

Informal

612 3.0

A person who goes against others or causes harm

is specifically the single most powerful enemy in fictional works rather than any opponent

villain

vsarchvillain

332 3.3

A person who does very bad things, often the main bad character in a story

is more marked by supreme power and threat within the narrative

nemesis

vsarchvillain

54 8.1

A powerful enemy or thing that causes someone's defeat

is centred on being the story's foremost powerful enemy, not just a cause of defeat

supervillain

vsarchvillain

13 5.9

A bad person in stories with very strong powers who fights superheroes

is the main most powerful enemy in stories generally, without requiring super abilities

archenemy

vsarchvillain

8 4.8

A person who is someone's main enemy in a long rivalry

is focused on being the strongest enemy in dramatic fiction rather than rivalry length

arch-nemesis

vsarchvillain

7 7.8

A person's main enemy who often opposes them

is chiefly the story's single most powerful enemy rather than an ongoing rival

archrival

vsarchvillain

6 4.9

The main opponent someone or a team competes with for a long time

is about being the strongest adversary in narratives rather than contest rivalry

baddie

vsarchvillain

Baby Talk

3 7.0

A person who is the main bad character in a story or film, often in children's stories

is the top powerful enemy in stories and usually sounds more serious

archfiend

vsarchvillain

Literature

1 9.2

A very powerful evil enemy in stories or legends

is the main powerful enemy in stories without the legendary emphasis

ultimate antagonist

vsarchvillain

Literature

1 7.9

The main enemy at the end of a story who the heroes must defeat

is primarily the most powerful enemy overall, not only the final challenger

badman

vsarchvillain

Literature

1 7.7

A man who does cruel or wrong things in stories

focuses more on being the supreme threatening enemy in fiction rather than general evil

archfoe

vsarchvillain

1 8.8

The main enemy someone has for a long time

highlights being the top powerful foe in stories more than personal history

strong antagonist

vsarchvillain

Literature

5.1

A powerful character who opposes the hero and creates major conflict

is distinguished by being the singular most powerful enemy across the whole story

How Important

archvillain

1 8.0

villain

332 3.3

Surface Forms

archvillain singular

archvillains plural

Morphology

archvillain = villain (transparent) = arch + villain

The prefix 'arch-' clearly denotes the primary or most significant villain, making the meaning straightforward for learners familiar with 'villain'.

Etymology

Archvillain joins the prefix arch- ('chief' or 'main') with the familiar word villain ('a bad person'), like in archenemy. So an archvillain is the 'chief' bad guy in a story, the main enemy the hero must face.