perpetrator

[pur-pi-trey-ter]

noun

1. a person who perpetrates, or commits, an illegal, criminal, or evil act.

   The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be found and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Word History and Origins

Origin of perpetrator¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin, from Latin perpetrāt(us), past participle of perpetrāre “to carry out, execute, perform” + -or -or ¹ ( def. ); perpetrate ( def. )

Example Sentences

Many of the perpetrators were young, she added.

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He added: "Our services' aim is to seize the largest possible quantities of contraband and to detain organisers and perpetrators so that this activity is unprofitable and does not pose a risk to civil aviation."

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Shame must change sides from the victim to the perpetrator, she insisted.

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The spokesperson said that many investigations were still under way, adding: "The work undertaken over the past decade has resulted in hundreds of perpetrators now serving lengthy prison sentences."

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In reality, the limited data on mass shootings and homicide assailants’ gender identities suggests that “trans people make up an insignificant percentage” of perpetrators, Lenning said.

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Related Words

• crook 
• culprit 
• miscreant 
• trespasser www.thesaurus.com
• violator www.thesaurus.com