noun
malefactor
MAL-ih-fak-ter/ˈmælɪfæktər/
A person who commits a crime or other wrongdoing.
The malefactor steals a wallet while its owner looks away.
Etymology
The pieces describe someone who does evil. Applied to a lawbreaker, that broad idea of an evildoer gives the word its sense of a criminal or wrongdoer.
In context
The bailiff of the courts is bound to deliver the malefactor ready judged for execution
More examples
- The judge orders the malefactor to repay the stolen money.
- The report identifies the malefactors behind the illegal dumping.
- Someone keeps hiding our supplies, but the malefactor remains a mystery.
Forms
malefactor · malefactors
Similar words
- wrongdoer
- A less formal term for someone who behaves wrongly.
- criminal
- Specifically someone who commits a crime, not merely other wrongdoing.
- offender
- Emphasizes violating a particular law, rule, or standard.