misdemeanant

[ mis-di-mee-nuhnt ]

noun

1. a person who is guilty of misbehavior.
2. Law. a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

misdemeanant

/ ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnənt /

noun

1. criminal law (formerly) a person who has committed or been convicted of a misdemeanour Compare felon 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of misdemeanant¹

First recorded in 1810–20; misdemean + -ant

Example Sentences

Ruben Delafuente, aka “Trippy,” 27, of Ontario was charged with distributing cocaine, engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, being a domestic violence misdemeanant in possession of a firearm, and possession of an unregistered firearm.

From Los Angeles Times

The judge added that before Jan. 6, 2021, he could not remember seeing a nonviolent, first-time misdemeanant “sentenced to serious jail time … regardless of their race, gender or political affiliation.”

From Washington Post

Mazzocco is the 10th misdemeanant to be sentenced, along with one felon, and the fourth to be sentenced to jail time.

From Washington Post

Because the common law rule did not give police the same degree of authority when minor infractions were at issue, Justice Kagan concluded that, absent a showing of exigency, “when the officer has time to get a warrant, he must do so—even though the misdemeanant fled.”

From Slate

“The flight of a suspected misdemeanant does not always justify a warrantless entry into a home,” she wrote.

From New York Times