OFFENDER Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

offender

noun

Definition of offender

as in criminal

a person who has committed a crime juvenile offenders have their criminal records sealed when they turn 18

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of offender Research on offenders with mental disorders suggests that recidivism depends more on criminal history than on diagnosis. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 At the root of the crisis is inadequate laws to punish offenders and a poor judicial system, activists say. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 During the debate, Bailey restated his opposition to the state’s elimination of cash bail for nonviolent offenders and to sanctuary policies on immigrants that limit cooperation between state and local police and federal immigration authorities. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 Because of those non-monetary bail releases, Robertson alleges several violent offenders were allowed to go free and then went on to allegedly commit more violent attacks. — Josh Taylor, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Lapses in yakuza discipline were atoned for by offering the offended party one of the offender’s fingers, wrapped in silk cloth. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 World’s Most Evil Prisoners takes a look at offenders doing life sentences, who go on to torture, kidnap and even kill while inside. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 Too often, special occasions can feel like an excuse to buy a new outfit; weddings are the worst offenders. — Corinne Pierre-Louis, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026 Burton Brown and other supporters argued that the measure was focused on violent offenders, not immigrants living peacefully in the United States. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for offender

Noun

That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).

— Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.

— Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

offended

offender

offenders

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Offender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offender. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of offender

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes