malefactor
Americannoun
-
a person who violates the law; criminal.
-
a person who does harm or evil, especially toward another.
- Antonyms:
- benefactor
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing malefactor
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Make Do: Fac
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Much Ado About Nothing
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Five years after that, Miloš Forman made a flamboyant film out of Shaffer’s material, with F. Murray Abraham playing Salieri as a suave, pursed-lipped malefactor.
From The New Yorker • May 27, 2019
I shall never be ungrateful, never a malefactor.
From Rule of the Monk or, Rome in the Nineteenth Century by Garibaldi, Giuseppe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
