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wrongdoer
noun
wrong·do·er
ˈrȯŋ-ˌdü-ər
: one that does wrong
especially
: one who transgresses moral laws
Examples of wrongdoer in a Sentence
anticorruption crusaders are going after wrongdoers at every level of the nation's government
Recent Examples on the Web
However, a prosecutor has to evaluate the facts carefully, and maybe ask police to dig deeper into the case, before determining the motive of the wrongdoer.
—Douglas S. Lavine, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2024
States lack the necessary safeguards to shield scientists and their work from politicization, and to hold wrongdoers accountable.
—Jacob Carter, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023
Our culture wants wrongdoers to suffer, even at the expense of public safety.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
That could leave victims and survivors of that wrongdoing in this bizarre legal purgatory: overseen by a bankruptcy judge who does not have the power to rule on their claims against the wrongdoers but who has the power to prevent them from ever being heard.
—Libby Lewis, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023
The justices pointed out the negative consequences of shifting liability from actual wrongdoers to providers of services generally available to the public.
—Ron Wyden, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023
To date the Biden administration has offered only lip service and modest funding to try to reclaim these funds and punish wrongdoers.
—Phil Gramm, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2023
After the Justice Department won guilty pleas in 2011 from Japanese auto parts manufacturers who conspired to fix prices on components in more than 25 million cars sold to American consumers, Mr. Cuneo represented car dealers in civil suits against the wrongdoers — a novel antitrust strategy.
—Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 27 July 2023
Meanwhile, the Black wrongdoer’s motives only get more and more monstrous, less sympathetic, less comprehensible.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrongdoer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of wrongdoer was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to wrongdoer
Dictionary Entries Near wrongdoer
Cite this Entry
“Wrongdoer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongdoer. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
wrongdoer
noun
wrong·do·er
ˈrȯŋ-ˈdü-ər
: a person who does wrong and especially moral wrong
wrongdoing
noun
-ˈdü-iŋ
Legal Definition
wrongdoer
noun
wrong·do·er
ˈrȯŋ-ˌdü-ər
: one (as a criminal or tortfeasor) who does wrong
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