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 ( see male-, fact) + -tor -tor

Explanation

A malefactor has done something illegal and has been or will be convicted, such as the malefactor who was videotaped stealing money from a cash register. To correctly pronounce malefactor, remember that the first syllable, mal rhymes with pal. A malefactor, however, is no friend you should have. Mal- comes from Latin and means "bad, evil," and facere means "to perform." A malefactor performs evil acts, or to put it a little less dramatically, does really bad things.

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

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

But if Bran is useless, he’s not the true malefactor here.

From Slate • May 20, 2019

He looked upon me as a malefactor, and as one under sentence of death.

From Memoirs of Leonora Christina Daughter of Christian IV. of Denmark; Written During Her Imprisonment in the Blue Tower at Copenhagen 1663-1685 by Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina