Definition of wrongdoernext
as in criminal
a person who commits moral wrongs anticorruption crusaders are going after wrongdoers at every level of the nation's government

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 wrongdoer The overpowering moral authority of wronged women, #MeToo’s skeptics alleged, would allow cynical wrongdoers to weaponize claims of victimhood for their own gain. — Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 9 June 2026 Greylord was a watershed moment in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026 And when thunderclaps rattled their chests, the Chinese felt a deity punishing wrongdoers. — Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2026 But critics of this effort say this internal mechanism fails to provide meaningful accountability and would protect wrongdoers from any future state bar investigation. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrongdoer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrongdoer
Noun
  • This can help prevent criminals from opening new credit accounts using your information.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Ford placed the inmate’s bid for clemency on the agenda of the state pardons board — an example, Lombardo claims, of the way Ford treats criminals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • His lacerating wit spares no member of his staff—a mix of true incompetents, off-putting savants, ticking time bombs, and onetime offenders prematurely consigned to professional purgatory.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Penalties increase if offenders cover their faces or someone is injured.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • His life moved from pain to promise, despair to hope, and perhaps as humanly possible, from sinner to saint.
    — Steven D. Reske, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On one page, tiny, antlike sinners tumbled down a cliff toward perdition.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Still, this villain’s origin story works better as a showcase for effects than anything tragic.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrongdoer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrongdoer. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster