{
    "term": "villain",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the main bad character in a story, play, etc.",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He often plays the part of the villain."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He doesn't fit the standard stereotype of a movie villain."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He has played villains in most of his films."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He wore a black cloak, like a pantomime villain."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Queen in ‘Snow White’ is one of film's greatest villains."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Film and theatre", "Literature and writing"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["movie", "pantomime", "screen"],
                "verb + villain": ["cast somebody as", "play", "catch"],
                "phrases": ["the villain of the piece"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a person who is morally bad or responsible for causing trouble or harm",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the heroes and villains of the 20th century"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Industrialized nations are the real environmental villains."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He felt that the insurance companies were the real villains in all this."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She seems to have cast me as the villain in her latest emotional upheaval."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Personal qualities"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["movie", "pantomime", "screen"],
                "verb + villain": ["cast somebody as", "play", "catch"],
                "phrases": ["the villain of the piece"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a criminal",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The police still haven't caught the villain."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["movie", "pantomime", "screen"],
                "verb + villain": ["cast somebody as", "play", "catch"],
                "phrases": ["the villain of the piece"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the person or thing that is responsible for all the trouble in a situation",
            "labels": "(especially humorous)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It’s hard to identify the real villain of the piece in this case."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈvɪlən/",
                "audio": "vi/villain/villain__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈvɪlən/",
                "audio": "vi/villain/villain__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘a rustic, boor’): from Old French vilein, based on Latin villa."
}