malefactor
noun
mal·e·fac·tor
ˈma-lə-ˌfak-tər 
1
: one who commits an offense against the law
2
: one who does ill toward another
a sinister malefactor abusing his power—
Iron Age
Iron AgeExamples of malefactor in a Sentence
she regards anyone who would cause the breakup of a family as a malefactor of the worst sort
the victim was able to give a clear description of the malefactor to the police
Recent Examples on the Web
The sense of purpose that motivated Bush after 9/11, combined with his visceral antipathy to Saddam—who was, after all, one of the great malefactors of the modern age—brought moral clarity, as well as strategic myopia.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
This keeps malefactors from abusing the service to snoop on private data other than their own.
—PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
If not properly secured, OTA updates may be intercepted and altered by malefactors, risking the reliability of the entire system.
—Klaudia Zaika, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
In her introductory speech, Amanpour foreshadows what’s to come, warning that malefactors with enticing narratives can only manipulate us because of our eagerness to believe them.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
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Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
This keeps malefactors from abusing the service to snoop on private data other than their own.
—PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
If not properly secured, OTA updates may be intercepted and altered by malefactors, risking the reliability of the entire system.
—Klaudia Zaika, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
In her introductory speech, Amanpour foreshadows what’s to come, warning that malefactors with enticing narratives can only manipulate us because of our eagerness to believe them.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
Cite this Entry
“Malefactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malefactor. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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