The Master of Suspense Knew About Villains

Alfred Hitchcock said, “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.” That holds true for writing and poetry as well. This post will help writers create word images with credible villains.

How Others View Villains

Although most of the words in this section are unfavorable, it’s crucial to remember that many of history’s most notorious villains were charismatic. Followers were beguiled — they drank the Kool-Aid, fell on their swords, and robbed their relatives.

Most of these descriptors are opinion adjectives. Besides the obvious, villainous, people might consider villains as:

A to C
amoral, apathetic, arrogant, atrocious, authoritarian, awful, bad, barbarous, base, beastly, boorish, bungling, cagey, calculating, callous, charismatic, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, conceited, condescending, conniving, conscienceless, contemptible, corrupt, cowardly, crazy, criminal, crooked, crude, cruel

D
damaged, dangerous, dark, dark-souled, dastardly, deadly, debased, debauched, decadent, deceitful, deceptive, degenerate, deluded, delusional, demented, demonic, deplorable, depraved, deranged, designing, despicable, despotic, devilish, devious, diabolical, dirty-dealing, disgusting, dishonest, disinterested, disloyal, disrespectful, disruptive, dissolute, disturbed, domineering, double-crossing, double-dealing, duplicitous

E to L
egotistical, evil, exciting, exploitive, fanatical, fiendish, foul, furtive, greedy, hateful, heartless, heinous, hopeless, hostile, ill-mannered, immoral, impenitent, imperious, impolite, impure, incompetent, inconsiderate, incorrigible, indifferent, inflexible, insane, insensitive, insidious, insolent, insufferable, lawless, lecherous, licentious, low

M to R
Machiavellian, malicious, malignant, manipulative, menacing, mercenary, merciless, monstrous, murderous, narcissistic, nasty, nefarious, neurotic, nihilistic, obstinate, odious, off-putting, opportunistic, overbearing, pathetic, patronizing, perfidious, perverted, pessimistic, power-hungry, psychopathic, psychotic, pushy, reprehensible, repressive, repulsive, rude, ruthless

S
sadistic, salacious, scheming, seditious, self-destructive, self-entitled, self-important, selfish, self-righteous, shady, sick, sinful, sinister, slick, slippery, sly, snarling, sneaky, sniveling, sociopathic, stealthy, stingy, subversive, surreptitious

T to W
toxic, treacherous, two-faced, two-timing, tyrannical, uncivilized, uncouth, underhanded, unethical, unfair, unfeeling, unprincipled, unscrupulous, unyielding, vain, vile, vindictive, wanton, wicked

How Villains View Themselves

For every uncomplimentary descriptor, villains will fabricate a different word in their alternate reality. Victims might think despotic while tyrants think assertive. The tyrants’ perspective affects their actions and colors their thoughts.

Add to this list by reviewing How Others View Villains. Consider the villain’s point of view for each word.

A to J
accomplished, adept, altruistic, ambitious, assertive, assured, avid, awesome, benevolent, canny, clever, committed, confident, correct, cunning, deft, determined, discerning, enterprising, firm, forceful, generous, heroic, high-minded, idealistic, ingenious, insightful, inventive, justified

M to W
magnanimous, masterful, motivated, noble, observant, on the ball, perceptive, perspicacious, philanthropic, pioneering, poised, proficient, progressive, prudent, purposeful, reasonable, resourceful, right, righteous, sagacious, savvy, self-assured, sharp-witted, shrewd, skillful, streetwise, superior, validated, vindicated, virtuous, wise

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

The previous two sections offer many descriptors that are pure tell, but showing emotion or intent via body language produces the strongest stories. Do any of these fit your narrative?

Apathy, boredom, disinterest, indifference
a blank stare
glazed eyes
maintaining minimal eye contact
yawning
picking one’s nose
closing or half-closing one’s eyes

Conceit, egotism, narcissism, vanity
pronounced lip-pursing
thrusting out one’s chin
sticking one’s nose in the air
raising one eyebrow
downturned corners of the mouth
supercilious gaze through half-lidded eyes

Contempt, disgust
sticking one’s nose in the air
wrinkling one’s nose
downturned lips
a pinched mouth
a mocking smile
sneering or snarling
curling one’s upper lip
squinting
frowning
rolling one’s eyes
arching an eyebrow
sticking out one’s tongue
vein(s) pulsing in one’s neck or temple

Deception, dishonesty
shifty eyes
avoiding eye contact
sweating
excessive blinking
red ears
biting one’s fingernails
chewing the inside of one’s mouth
rubbing one’s nose
a misleading attempt to maintain eye contact
making inappropriate facial expressions for the circumstances

Hatred
sideways glances
tight-lipped smiles
flared nostrils
clenching one’s jaw
baring one’s teeth
beads of sweat on one’s face
flushing
grinding one’s teeth
rigid cord(s) in one’s neck
snarling
sneering
spitting
glowering at object of one’s hostility
vein(s) pulsing in one’s neck or temple

Hostility
protuberant or bulging eyes
dilated nostrils
clenching one’s jaw
a red face
an icy stare
curling one’s lip
rigid cords in one’s neck
glaring
frowning or scowling
baring one’s teeth
grinding one’s teeth
staring somebody down
pressing one’s lips firmly together
vein(s) pulsing in one’s neck or temple

Insolence, disrespect, rudeness
thumbing one’s nose at someone
sticking out one’s tongue
snorting
curling one’s lip
rolling one’s eyes
openly picking one’s nose
laughing at someone
yawning while someone is talking
refusing to face the person who’s speaking

Pessimism
wrinkling one’s nose
knitting one’s brows
pursing one’s lips
curling one’s lip
staring
squinting
grinding one’s teeth
frowning or scowling
tilting one’s head and looking askance (sideways)

Sadism
curling one’s lip
clenching one’s jaw
baring one’s teeth
a twisted scowl
a bone-crunching handshake
an evil grin (evil = opinion adjective)
horizontal wrinkles between one’s eyebrows
lips stretched so tightly over one’s teeth that they seem to disappear

Stealthiness
biting one’s lip
avoiding eye contact
a sly smile (sly = opinion adjective)
pressing one’s lips together in a firm line

Find more emotion beats by consulting a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Similes and Metaphors

Figures of speech provide abundant opportunities for creativity.

Antiheroes could be depicted, directly or indirectly, by way of phrasing similar to the following.

• a [hammer, storm, thundercloud] of abuse
• a black hole
• a bottomless pit of [conspiracies, contrivances, plots, schemes]
• a fount of [deceits, fabrications, falsehoods, lies]
• a leader of lemmings
• a lightning bolt of anger and reprisal
• beautiful as a black panther and twice as dangerous
• cold as an Antarctic blizzard
• dark matter
• Satan of sycophants
• the epitome of [cynicism, debauchery, decadence, evil, immorality]

Scents

A villain might smell good or bad, depending on circumstances and intent. A grave robber could reek of decomp, while a gigolo might be surrounded by overtones of expensive cologne.

Why would someone smell like disinfectant? Cleaning up a crime scene, perhaps.

Like gun oil? Lots of possibilities.

C-4? The reason should be obvious. Or is it?

Here are a few idea starters.

A to W
almonds (possible cyanide poisoning), barf of a newly strangled victim, beer burps, bordello, breath mints, C-4, chlorine, cigar smoke, cologne, decomp, deodorant, dirty hotel room, dirty laundry, disinfectant, expensive caviar, fresh blood, garbage, gasoline, grease, gun oil, gunpowder, hand cleaner, lavender, leather, licorice, musty taxicab, paper money, perspiration, road kill, rotten flesh, strip club, tobacco, toenails, topsoil, weed

Villainous Verbs

English provides so many suitable verbs that a post like this couldn’t hope to contain them. Try the following actions or leverage the words to produce your own ideas.

A to C
abduct, abominate, abuse, agitate, alarm, allure, annihilate, arouse, assassinate, assault, attract, badger, beat, beguile, belittle, betray, bewitch, blight, bluff, browbeat, bully, captivate, charm, cheat, coerce, con, condescend, connive, conspire, contaminate, corrupt, cozen, criticize

D to H
debase, deceive, defraud, degrade, delude, demean, demolish, denigrate, destroy, detest, devastate, disappoint, disdain, disgrace, disgust, dishonor, disparage, disrupt, disturb, double-cross, dupe, electrify, embezzle, enchant, energize, enrapture, enthrall, entice, excite, exploit, exterminate, fascinate, fleece, flog, fool, frighten, goad, harass, harm, hate, hijack, hound, humiliate, hustle, hypnotize

I to P
impair, imprison, incite, injure, instigate, inveigle, kidnap, kill, loathe, lure, manipulate, massacre, meddle, menace, mesmerize, misappropriate, misdirect, mislead, misuse, mortify, murder, obfuscate, oppress, outwit, panic, patronize, persecute, pervert, pester, pillage, plot, plunder, provoke

R to W
rape, ravage, raze, repulse, ridicule, rob, ruin, scam, scare, scheme, scoff, scorn, seduce, shame, snarl, sneak, sneer, snub, spellbind, spoil, spoof, stalk, steal, stoop, sully, swindle, tamper, terrify, thrash, thrill, torment, trick, unsettle, upset, vitiate, warp, whip, wound, wreck

Nouns and Noun Phrases to Replace Villain

Villain is such a boring word. Perhaps you can tag your nasty character with a distinctive activity or moniker like one of these.

A to C
abductor, abuser, acolyte of evil, agent of chaos, agitator, anarchist, antichrist, arms dealer, assassin, assaulter, bastard, Beelzebub, betrayer, bigamist, bill collector, bitch, boor, bruiser, bully, cad, CEO of [a software company, a pharmaceutical company], charlatan, charmer, chauvinist, cheater, child trafficker, churl, computer hacker, conniver, conspirer, crooked [banker, boss, politician]

D to L
debaucher, deceiver, devil incarnate, dictator, disparager, dog, double-crosser, drug dealer, embezzler, exterminator, fascist, fiend, fraud, good-for-nothing, hell-raiser, hijacker, homewrecker, hooligan, hustler, Iago, inciter, instigator, inveigler, kidnapper, killer, knave, liar, lobbyist, loudmouth, louse, lout

M to R
madam, Mafioso, malcontent, mamzer, manipulator, masochist, meddler, misanthropist, murderer, narcissist, Nazi, necrophiliac, oaf, oppressor, parasite, persecutor, pervert, pessimist, philanderer, pimp, plagiarist, plunderer, poacher, polygamist, provocateur, psychopath, rabble-rouser, racist, rapist, rascal, rat, ravager, reprobate, robber, rogue, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian

S to Y
saboteur, sadist, Satan, scammer, schemer, scoffer, scoundrel, Scrooge, seducer, shark, skeptic, slaver, sneak, stalker, swindler, swine, tax collector, telemarketer, terrorist, thief, thug, tightwad, tormenter, tow truck driver, trickster, troll, troublemaker, tyrant, used car salesman, vandal, vermin, witch, womanizer, yahoo

Props

Well-chosen props augment a story by sparking new twists or subplots:

A thief breaks into a house and finds a laptop computer with an obituary displayed on the screen. The obituary turns out to be that of [a famous living actor, a famous living politician, the thief].

A bank manager is kidnapped by [an alien, a CEO, a homeless person, a hooker, a taxi driver].

Handcuffs at the scene of a murder contain the DNA of [the detective investigating the murder, the family’s pet dog, someone who has been dead for many years].

B to G
bad back, bankruptcy, blindfold, chains, chemical plant, computer virus, contaminated [food, land, water], credit card theft, deck of cards, expensive [bracelet, car, necklace, suit, watch], experimental [aircraft, drug, weapon], garrote

H to Y
handcuffs, hidden camera, hospital ICU ward, hostage, knife, mouthwash, myopia (nearsightedness), necktie, obituary, online dating site, poison, prison, private jet, science lab, surgery, taxicab, uncomfortable shoes, vehicle accident, yacht

Clichés and Idioms

In dialogue, anything goes. However, most narrative becomes stronger by replacing clichés and idioms such as these.

• close-fisted: cheap, chintzy, greedy, mingy, miserly, stingy, tight
• devil-may-care: foolhardy, irresponsible, negligent, rash, reckless
• dog-eat-dog: brutal, cruel, fierce, merciless, ruthless, vicious
• double-dealing: conniving, deceitful, devious, dishonest, scheming
• fast and loose: irresponsible, reckless, uncontrolled, undisciplined
• fly-by-night: feckless, irresponsible, reckless, undependable
• gone to the dogs: crooked, mercenary, shady, tainted, treacherous
• hard as nails: callous, inflexible, insensitive, stony, tough, unbending
• high-and-mighty: contemptuous, disdainful, haughty, patronizing
• like a snake in the grass: crafty, dangerous, disingenuous, sly, wily
• money-grubbing: corrupt, mercenary, unethical, unprincipled
• off one’s rocker: crazy, foolish, insane, ridiculous, strange, unstable
• stiff-necked: aloof, arrogant, haughty, obstinate, proud, unyielding
• stop-at-nothing: amoral, corrupt, licentious, unethical, unprincipled
• swollen-headed: arrogant, boastful, cocky, conceited, haughty, vain
• thick-skinned: callous, hard, insensitive, unfeeling, unsympathetic
• to lead someone down the garden path: con, deceive, mislead
• to pull the wool over someone’s eyes: deceive, misinform, mislead
• to take someone for a ride: defraud, dupe, scam, swindle, trick
• to talk down to: condescend, indulge, patronize, snub, stoop
• two-faced: disingenuous, duplicitous, hypocritical, insincere, phony
• wrapped up in oneself: egotistical, greedy, narcissistic, selfish