Synonyms of culprit

culprit

noun

ˈkəl-prət 

as in offender

a person who has committed a crime

the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• offender
• criminal
• defendant
• lawbreaker
• suspect
• perpetrator
• malefactor
• miscreant
• crook
• accomplice
• principal
• villain
• perp
• convict
• outlaw
• wrongdoer
• misdemeanant
• thug
• trespasser
• transgressor
• desperado
• gun
• gangster
• jailbird
• triggerman
• fish
• sinner
• hooligan
• hoodlum
• mobster
• racketeer
• recidivist
• accused
• evildoer
• arrestee
• misdoer
• detainee
• backslider
• button man
• misfeasor
• gunsel
• gallows bird
• gunman
• enforcer
• hit man
• repeater
• blackhander
• relapser

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lawman
• gangbuster

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of culprit

But that wouldn't be much of a story, so things just got weirder from there until the real culprit was revealed. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

The pedestrian who died had crossed illegally; the two kids on bikes were riding the wrong way; one of the rear-end culprits was under the influence. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026

There are a variety of reasons an AC unit may be recalled, but according to Todd Usher, Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Real Estate Development Program at Clemson University, there are two common culprits. — The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026

Using 128 years of data, researchers trace this to two culprits—an unrepresentative recent sample and a benchmarking bias from mismatching callable bonds to Treasuries—and find the credit risk premium is real once corrected. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

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