malefactress

American

[mal-uh-fak-tris] / ˈmæl əˌfæk trɪs /

noun

a woman who violates the law or does evil.

Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of malefactress

First recorded in 1640–50; malefact(o)r + -ess

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.

Bloody Mary has been transfigured into a tragic and poetic malefactress: but only by the most audacious and magnificent defiance of history and possibility.

From The Age of Shakespeare by Swinburne, Algernon Charles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023