malefactor

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A person who commits a crime, offense, or morally harmful act.

   Grammar: Countable: 'the malefactor,' 'several malefactors.' Modern neutral choices are 'criminal' or 'wrongdoer.'

   Patterns

   • the alleged malefactor
   • hunt a malefactor
   • punish a malefactor

   The detective tracked the malefactor to a warehouse near the harbor.

   In the parable, the injured traveler is ignored by respectable travelers but helped by a stranger while the malefactor escapes.

Word forms

Common combinations

alleged malefactor

The newspaper identified the alleged malefactor only after charges were filed.

chief malefactor

Investigators believe the chief malefactor planned the fraud from abroad.

punish the malefactor

The village elders sought to punish the malefactor without resorting to violence.

Synonyms and how they differ

criminal

Criminal is the neutral legal word for someone who commits crimes; 'malefactor' is formal or old-fashioned.

wrongdoer

Wrongdoer covers illegal or immoral wrong acts and is less tied to court cases than criminal.

offender

Offender often means someone who breaks a specific law, rule, or agreement, not necessarily a serious villain.

villain

Villain is common in stories and implies deliberate evil or the antagonist role.

Opposites

Word family

malefaction noun

Formal and rare: a crime, evil deed, or harmful action.

Commonly confused: malefactor or benefactor? malefactor or malfeasant?

Practice

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