VICTIM Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

victim

noun

ˈvik-təm

Definition of victim

as in fatality

a person or thing harmed, lost, or destroyed helped the victims of the fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in target

a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule the victim of schoolyard teasing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sacrifice

something offered to a god the Aztecs are believed to have sacrificed thousands of victims annually to the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of victim Sworn and civilian personnel — including detectives, crime analysts and victim advocates — have worked around the clock since the incident to process the scene and identify those involved. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The two men say they were injured on October 21, when the first victim was walking on West 47th Street near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing, according to the criminal complaint. — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 In July, Southwark Crown Court heard that the duo attacked the victim, Abraham Diaw, at the Tape London nightclub in February 2023. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026 Preliminary investigations indicate the victim might have fallen from a bridge. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for victim

Recent Examples of Synonyms for victim

Noun

According to Kansas City Police Department data, the fatal crash is Kansas City’s 57th traffic fatality this year.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
His death appeared to be the first fatality involving a horse carriage in Central Park since the rides began.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of fatality

Noun

More than half of the DOGE firing targets were Black, the Post found, while nearly one-third were white, 13% were Asian, and 8% were Hispanic.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Its target lay thousands of miles away in northwestern Russia.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of target

Noun

But research shows that if a vampire bat comes back to its colony hungry, other bats will step in and regurgitate blood to share—a costly but lifesaving sacrifice.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
What's particularly concerning is that many of these borrowers are already making significant financial sacrifices to stay current on their payments.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of sacrifice

Noun

In Alaska, salmon are one of the main prey sources for belugas—and the fish need cold water to develop their eggs, keep their metabolism stable and prevent energy depletion during long migratory journeys.

— Ryan Green, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026
But even the slower, more deliberate decision-making can fall prey to any number of cognitive biases.

— Shayla Love, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026