1
as in criminal
a person who commits moral wrongs
she regards anyone who would cause the breakup of a family as a malefactor of the worst sort
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offender
a person who has committed a crime
the victim was able to give a clear description of the malefactor to the police
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of malefactor
Maybe the origin of Downey's Doom won't involve torture or an evil malefactor specifically out to ruin his life.
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Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2024
Thriller about a reclusive middleman for potential whistleblowers who tries to settle things with corporate malefactors.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024
Progressives may struggle even more with mercy toward moneyed malefactors.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
Then, just when the situation couldn’t seem to get any worse, in the season three premiere, some mysterious malefactor sets off a car bomb at Miriam’s funeral.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for malefactor 
Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2024
Thriller about a reclusive middleman for potential whistleblowers who tries to settle things with corporate malefactors.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024
Progressives may struggle even more with mercy toward moneyed malefactors.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
Then, just when the situation couldn’t seem to get any worse, in the season three premiere, some mysterious malefactor sets off a car bomb at Miriam’s funeral.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for malefactor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefactor
Noun
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The film focuses on young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) — who's accidentally left home alone over the holidays — and his clever plans to outwit a pair of criminals trying to rob his home on Christmas Eve.Athena Sobhan, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
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Trump has said deportations will focus on criminals first, as immigration enforcement has since former President Barack Obama's presidency.Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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So there's a law firm in Seattle that has mounted a lot of very famous successful class action suits against large wrongdoers.Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
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Local leaders say public pieces like murals and sculptures have the power to both beautify and protect the city by letting would-be wrongdoers know that a community is cared for.Justin L. Mack, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Or even an appearance from Tom Holland’s Peter Parker that would mean two hours haven’t been wasted watching this forgettable origin tale of a villain who’s not really THAT bad.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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The Grinch bore a striking resemblance to Jim Carrey's version of the beloved Christmas villain.Rachel Raposas, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Perhaps out of a shared sense of guilt, Oppenheimer yearns to give these sinners a chance to atone for their mistakes.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
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There was a strongly confessional element to the TRC’s operation; sinners came to the hearings seeking absolution, and victims came seeking to forgive so they might be liberated from their pain.Sisonke Msimang, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near malefactor
Cite this Entry
“Malefactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefactor. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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