1
as in criminal
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offender
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 malefactor
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
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
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
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
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
See All Example Sentences for malefactor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefactor
Noun
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Lawmakers in many states have changed the rules in recent decades to protect winners from being targeted by criminals and unscrupulous people asking for money.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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Her Eco-Age consultancy, targeted by criminals and forced to close in 2024 after 17 years in business, had advised clients on industry developments, changes to government policies and practical guidance on how to avoid greenwashing.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Insist that the federal government deploy those resources to get the violent offenders who are killing, assaulting and robbing law-abiding citizens on the city’s South and West sides.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Kentucky's persistent felony offender (PFO) law, enacted in 1974 and expanded in 1976, allows for enhanced sentences for repeat felony offenders.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Maryland continues to maintain a civil justice system that favors wrongdoers instead of people innocently injured due to negligence.—
Bruce M. Plaxen,
Baltimore Sun,
12 July 2025
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So, people may feel compelled to condemn the wrongdoer to restore a sense of justice.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Vineland’s repressive villain Brock Vond ends ferried to hell by two Eastside vatos locos, while the hippie father Zoyd reunites with his daughter at an anarchist family picnic.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
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There are villains in every episode and the story uses them to showcase some societal issues.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An unlicensed casino grows up to be a Baptist college, one that doesn’t shy away from its sordid past, as Christ himself never shied away from a sinner.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Aug. 2025
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The only things shaky about Relish are the junkies, prostitutes, suicidal depressives, and sinners who populate Osborne's songs.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malefactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefactor. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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