misdemeanant

American  

[mis-di-mee-nuhnt] / ˌmɪs dɪˈmi nənt /

noun

1. a person who is guilty of misbehavior.

2. Law. a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

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misdemeanant British  

/ ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnənt /

noun

1. criminal law (formerly) a person who has committed or been convicted of a misdemeanour Compare felon 1

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Etymology

Origin of misdemeanant

First recorded in 1810–20; misdemean + -ant

Example Sentences

Mazzocco is the 10th misdemeanant to be sentenced, along with one felon, and the fourth to be sentenced to jail time.

From Washington Post • Oct. 4, 2021

“The flight of a suspected misdemeanant does not always justify a warrantless entry into a home,” she wrote.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2021

To be a "first-class misdemeanant" seems to me the height of happiness for a literary man.

From Without Prejudice by Zangwill, Israel

Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., subsequently presented to the Home Secretary a memorial, signed by 1,500 citizens, praying that Hardiment should be classed as a first-class misdemeanant.

From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles

He was, I understand, at one time a firstclass misdemeanant in Glencree reformatory.

From Ulysses by Joyce, James