1
as in criminals
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offenders
a person who has committed a crime
the victim was able to give a clear description of the malefactor to the police
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of malefactors
To be confronted by Mike Wallace was the deepest dread of countless malefactors in public and corporate life.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
The malefactors in Roald Dahl’s fiction are easy to spot.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Electronic medical records were once touted as secure, but whole hospital systems have been taken down and held for ransom by malefactors.
—Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
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
Either way, The Lowdown finds Harjo dipping into pleasantly familiar reservoirs of fiction in which the protagonists know how to take a constant beating, the malefactors are all suspiciously verbose and ostentatious hats abound.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
The malefactors in Roald Dahl’s fiction are easy to spot.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Electronic medical records were once touted as secure, but whole hospital systems have been taken down and held for ransom by malefactors.
—Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
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
Either way, The Lowdown finds Harjo dipping into pleasantly familiar reservoirs of fiction in which the protagonists know how to take a constant beating, the malefactors are all suspiciously verbose and ostentatious hats abound.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefactors
Noun
-
These people are vital to the Florida economy, yet they are being rounded up like criminals.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Patching software regularly could close known vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The program, which is likely to run in the afternoons or evenings, and would be open anyone looking to change careers, returning veterans and ex-offenders, Awwad said.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
All colors change under different lights, but white is one of the biggest offenders due to its highly reflective quality.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The overpowering moral authority of wronged women, #MeToo’s skeptics alleged, would allow cynical wrongdoers to weaponize claims of victimhood for their own gain.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
-
And when thunderclaps rattled their chests, the Chinese felt a deity punishing wrongdoers.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Like Scorsese’s work, Miller’s documentary is both big and small, local and global, and dense with sinners and saints alike.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
-
These surreal, blood-red dioramas depict the gruesome punishments awaiting sinners in the Chinese Buddhist afterlife.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The festive, charming and energetic North American tour of the Broadway production is packed with as much nostalgia as new characters that are doppelgangers for the original series’ heroes and villains, and who often challenge our assumptions about their infamous families.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
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What villains, from Earth or elsewhere, are most known to threaten humanity?—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Malefactors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefactors. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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