wrongdoer

noun

wrong·​do·​er ˈrȯŋ-ˌdü-ər How to pronounce wrongdoer (audio)
: one that does wrong
especially : one who transgresses moral laws

Examples of wrongdoer in a Sentence

anticorruption crusaders are going after wrongdoers at every level of the nation's government
Recent Examples on the Web However, a prosecutor has to evaluate the facts carefully, and maybe ask police to dig deeper into the case, before determining the motive of the wrongdoer. Douglas S. Lavine, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2024 States lack the necessary safeguards to shield scientists and their work from politicization, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. Jacob Carter, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023 Our culture wants wrongdoers to suffer, even at the expense of public safety. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 That could leave victims and survivors of that wrongdoing in this bizarre legal purgatory: overseen by a bankruptcy judge who does not have the power to rule on their claims against the wrongdoers but who has the power to prevent them from ever being heard. Libby Lewis, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023 The justices pointed out the negative consequences of shifting liability from actual wrongdoers to providers of services generally available to the public. Ron Wyden, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023 To date the Biden administration has offered only lip service and modest funding to try to reclaim these funds and punish wrongdoers. Phil Gramm, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2023 After the Justice Department won guilty pleas in 2011 from Japanese auto parts manufacturers who conspired to fix prices on components in more than 25 million cars sold to American consumers, Mr. Cuneo represented car dealers in civil suits against the wrongdoers — a novel antitrust strategy. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 27 July 2023 Meanwhile, the Black wrongdoer’s motives only get more and more monstrous, less sympathetic, less comprehensible. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrongdoer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrongdoer was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wrongdoer

Cite this Entry

“Wrongdoer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongdoer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wrongdoer

noun
wrong·​do·​er ˈrȯŋ-ˈdü-ər How to pronounce wrongdoer (audio)
: a person who does wrong and especially moral wrong
wrongdoing
-ˈdü-iŋ
noun

Legal Definition

wrongdoer

noun
wrong·​do·​er ˈrȯŋ-ˌdü-ər How to pronounce wrongdoer (audio)
: one (as a criminal or tortfeasor) who does wrong

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