Also means
naughty, wicked
Usage Note
Vilain in modern French most often means ugly or unpleasant in appearance, or naughty (especially of a child: sois pas vilain ! — don't be naughty!). Historically it meant a peasant or serf (related to English 'villain'), and that sense of moral wickedness survives in literary or older texts. The feminine is vilaine, and the phrase vilain tour means a dirty trick.
Examples
"Il fait un vilain temps aujourd'hui."
Natural Translation
The weather is nasty today.
Literal Translation
It makes a nasty weather today.
Related Words
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