Malefactor
A person who commits a crime; an offender.
nounMalefactor
A person who commits a crime; an offender.
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Imagine This
Disposing household chemicals into the drain is one of the bad factors in polluting the Bay. The male factor is a critical issue in todayβs prison since the majority of criminals are male.
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Sounds Like
MAL-uh-FAK-tor (ΛmΓ¦lΙΛfΓ¦ktΙr)
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Looks Like
mal(bad)_factor; male_factor
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Remember This
The prefix mal- means bad (as in malicious, malnourished). The component fac- means 'to do' (from facere); -tor denotes a person who performs the action.
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Other Forms
malefactionnoun
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Connect With
criminal, offender, wrongdoer, delinquent, felon
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Note
Malefactor is a formal, somewhat old-fashioned term for a criminal. Do not confuse with maleficent (causing harm) or with felon (a specific type of criminal).