victim

[vik-tim]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR victim ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency: a victim of an automobile accident.

a person who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others, or by some impersonal agency: a victim of misplaced confidence; the victim of a swindler; a victim of an optical illusion.

a person or animal sacrificed or regarded as sacrificed: war victims.

a living creature sacrificed in religious rites.

Origin of victim

First recorded in 1490–1500, victim is from the Latin word victima sacrificial animal

Related formsvic·tim·hood, nounvic·tim·less, adjectivenon·vic·tim, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for victim

martyr, fatality, casualty, sufferer, gudgeon, underdog, stooge, pawn, gull, immolation, dupe, patsy, mark, wretch, prey, innocent, pushover, sacrifice, fool, scapegoat

Examples from the Web for victim

Contemporary Examples of victim

And in so many of these events, the pattern of “blame the victim” was quickly in evidence.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion
Gene Robinson
January 4, 2015
The victim, whom The Daily Beast is not naming, asked what Williams wanted and the pastor allegedly “reached in and grabbed him.”
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault
M.L. Nestel
December 21, 2014
Men ages 18 to 24 enrolled in college were more likely to become a victim.
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students
Brandy Zadrozny
December 11, 2014
Non-students (at 3.1 per 1,000) were 1.5 times more likely to be a victim of a completed rape than students (2.0 per 1,000).
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students
Brandy Zadrozny
December 11, 2014
Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
December 10, 2014

Historical Examples of victim

He was not naturally bad, but he had fallen a victim to sudden temptation.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Major John Postell had been pitched upon as the first victim.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
He had been defied, trapped, made a victim of the gang who had killed his most valued informer.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Between him and her as the victim of the law, there could be no hesitation for choice.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
"You'll have to cut down your victim before I get there," grinned Chip.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for victim

victim

noun

a person or thing that suffers harm, death, etc, from another or from some adverse act, circumstance, etcvictims of tyranny

a person who is tricked or swindled; dupe

a living person or animal sacrificed in a religious rite

Word Origin for victim

C15: from Latin victima

usage

Using the word victim or victims in relation to chronic illness or disability is often considered demeaning and disempowering. Alternative phrases such as who experiences, who has been diagnosed with, or simply with and then the name of the disability or illness, can be used instead

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for victim

late 15c., "living creature killed and offered as a sacrifice to a deity or supernatural power," from Latin victima "person or animal killed as a sacrifice." Perhaps distantly connected to Old English wig "idol," Gothic weihs "holy," German weihen "consecrate" (cf. Weihnachten "Christmas") on notion of "a consecrated animal." Sense of "person who is hurt, tortured, or killed by another" is first recorded 1650s; meaning "person oppressed by some power or situation" is from 1718. Weaker sense of "person taken advantage of" is recorded from 1781.