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 Sea of Excrement, with its bobbing malefactors, is especially memorable.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Some malefactors even hire out farms of humans to defeat them in bulk.
CAPTCHAs also have unexpected benefits for those who run them.
—ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025
Its victims, malefactors, and investigators are largely without personality, their function being merely to leave or follow trails, and to wear out a reader with anticlimax after anticlimax.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
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New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Some malefactors even hire out farms of humans to defeat them in bulk.
CAPTCHAs also have unexpected benefits for those who run them.
—ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025
Its victims, malefactors, and investigators are largely without personality, their function being merely to leave or follow trails, and to wear out a reader with anticlimax after anticlimax.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
Cite this Entry
“Malefactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malefactor. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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