Writing Fiction: Villain Vocabulary
How to make a villain in six badass words.
I recently stumbled upon the list of Latin-derived words I’ve collected over the years. It always fascinated me how many referred to some seriously deranged and immoral behaviours: mendacious, irascible, pernicious, recalcitrant, vituperative and execrable, to name a few. Although I never knew what to do with them, I always reckoned it would be a shame to let this fierce and brutal vocabulary go unused (haha!).
Then looking at my list I got an idea: wouldn’t these sinister-sounding words make for great villain epithets!?
I searched for each word on Quillio, a quote lookup app I created with friends. While there were some terms which I couldn’t find, Quillio returned results for the majority of the words on the list. Intrigued by this I put together six of my favourite quotes that I felt brought out the essence of what it takes to be a villain really well. I called it “A Villain in Six Badass Words” and here it is.
A Villain in Six Badass Words
1. Furtive
Most villains are proud of their schemes: they want to brag about their wrongdoings. But before they announce their twisted plans to the world, they typically have more “humble”, or furtive beginnings.
Furtive — attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble.“He walked very slowly and circumspectly, and there was something indescribably guilty and furtive in his whole appearance."— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Hound of the Baskervilles
2. Inexorable
As they degenerate into wicked psychopaths, there comes a time in every villain’s life when they hit the point of no return. Their depravation is from then on inescapable, inevitable… inexorable.
Inexorable — impossible to stop or prevent.“Without haste or agitation he awaited what was coming. That inexorable, eternal, distant, and unknown the presence of which he had felt continually all his life—was now near to him and, by the strange lightness he experienced, almost comprehensible and palpable...”─ Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace
3. Avaricious
Despite the internal struggle it is the evil side that eventually prevails. Consumed by an unquenchable thirst for crime, they finally become the avaricious savages they were meant to be.
Avaricious — having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain“‘What are you up to? Ill-treating the boys, you covetous, avaricious, in-sa-ti-a-ble old fence?’ said the man, seating himself deliberately. ‘I wonder they don't murder you!’”─ Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist
4. Imperious
Villains know how to get shit done. Unlike most of us, though, they have a special way about it. And it’s not by getting people to like them. Their management style revolves around barking orders, imposing their will on anything and anyone around them. They aren’t simply bossy, pushy or brash. They are imperious.
Imperious — arrogant and domineering.“With a fierce sweep of his arm, he hurled the woman from him, and then motioned to the others, as though he were beating them back; it was the same imperious gesture that I had seen used to the wolves.”— Bram Stoker in Dracula
5. Obsequious
Despite their over the top douchebaggery, bad guys are remarkably adept at finding recruits to join their ranks. While their underlings might not have the same charisma, they certainly will go the extra mile to please the beloved boss…
Obsequious — obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.“He was a man of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance, obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; and this, in addition to his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, made him as much disliked by the crew as Edmond Dantes was beloved by them.”─ Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo
6. Virulent
Simply acting like a douche or wanting to hurt an undisclosed number of people (the more, the merrier!) isn’t enough to qualify as a super-villain. You have to walk the talk. And what suits a criminal-mastermind better than a truly despicable, heinous and virulent undertaking?
Virulent — extremely severe or harmful in its effects.“Lest he should be taken alive, Hook always carried about his person a dreadful drug, blended by himself of all the death-dealing rings that had come into his possession. These he had boiled down into a yellow liquid quite unknown to science, which was probably the most virulent poison in existence. Five drops of this he now added to Peter’s cup. His hand shook, but it was in exultation rather than in shame.”─ J. M. Barrie in Peter Pan
Seeing the words in context I noticed that great villains, like great heroes, come to life through their backstory, complete with their goals and motivations — not merely through the vocabulary used to decribe them. Slapping a couple of scary-sounding words on a bad guy won’t turn him into a powerful opposing force to root against. But I have to admit, a few things bring out the menacing aspect of a villain as well as a timely, Latin-derived epithet.
