Contender
Contender noun - One who seeks an office, honor, position, or award.
Villain and contender are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Villain" instead a noun "Contender".
Nearby Words: contended, contending
Villain
Villain noun - A mean, evil, or unprincipled person.
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Synonyms for Villain
Contender and villain are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Contender" instead a noun "Villain".
Nearby Words: villainous, villainy
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- The villain, Johan, is a heavy contender for the most evil bastard ever written into existence.
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Call Back: Every Zoofights has brought back a contender from a previous series, but always in a side or villain role instead of straight-up entering the tournament again.
Source: Literature / Zoofights -
Arch-Enemy: Luthor is the longest running contender for the title of Superman's archnemesis, and is the character who most readily springs to mind when you hear "Superman villain".
Source: Comic Book / Lex Luthor
Cite this Source
Villain and Contender. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 27, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/contender/villain
Contender & Villain. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/contender/villain>.
Villain or Contender. 2016. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/contender/villain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "contender" and "villain" have occurred on timeline