malefactor

American  

[mal-uh-fak-ter] / ˈmæl əˌfæk tər /

noun

1. a person who violates the law; criminal.

   Synonyms:

   culprit, felon

2. a person who does harm or evil, especially toward another.

   Antonyms:

   benefactor

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malefactor British  

/ ˈmælɪˌfæktə /

noun

1. a criminal; wrongdoer

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Other Word Forms

• malefaction noun
• malefactress noun

Etymology

Origin of malefactor

1400–50; late Middle English malefactour < Latin malefactor, equivalent to malefac ( ere ) to act wickedly, do an evil deed ( male-, fact ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

He’s an honest policeman who describes himself as a “functionnaire,” a civil servant, and whose belief in justice might sometimes lead him to letting a malefactor escape.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

In a more sinister scenario, a malefactor could hack into an iPhone and access a record of where a Voice Memo user has been.

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2020

Milton's benchmark for when a book becomes a "malefactor" is a little unclear.

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2020

Bridges was a zealous vamp from the get-go; Tomasson a prowling, barefaced malefactor; Bouley a restless shark, gliding between wily poses.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2020

My heart leaped up with joy; and the coincidence of the appearance of a rainbow at the same instant, operated like a reprieve to a malefactor in the hands of the executioner.

From The Emigrant's Lost Son or, Life Alone in the Forest by Anonymous