Standard Lemma guide

offender

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /əˈfen.də(ɹ)/
  • General-American: /əˈfen.dɚ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛndə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 F EH1 N D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person who transgresses moral or civil law

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wrongdoer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bad person

Narrower terms: abuser, maltreater, attacker, aggressor, assailant, assaulter, barrator, barrater, convict, deceiver, cheat, cheater, trickster, beguiler, slicker, delinquent, juvenile delinquent, deserter, defector, gonif, goniff, ganef, ganof, transgressor, malfeasant, molester, no-show, nonattender, truant, perpetrator, culprit, pimp, procurer, panderer, pander, pandar, fancy man, ponce, principal, recidivist, backslider, reversionist, reprobate, miscreant, shark, shyster, pettifogger, sinner, evildoer, usurper, supplanter, war criminal

History

Etymology

From Middle English offendour, offender, offendir, equivalent to offend + -er.

Across languages

Translations

64 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: виновник (vinovnik) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Bulgarian: нарушител (narušitel) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冒犯者 (màofànzhě) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Finnish: rikkoja — one who gives or causes offense
  • Finnish: loukkaaja — one who gives or causes offense
  • German: Täter — one who gives or causes offense
  • Latin: offensor — one who gives or causes offense
  • Persian: مقصر (moqasser) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Persian: تقصیرکار (taqsirkâr) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Portuguese: ofensor — one who gives or causes offense
  • Russian: оби́дчик (obídčik) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Russian: оби́дчица (obídčica) — one who gives or causes offense
  • Spanish: ofensor — one who gives or causes offense
  • Spanish: ofendedor — one who gives or causes offense
  • Arabic: جَانٍ (jānin) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Belarusian: злачынец (zlačynjec) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Bulgarian: престъпник (prestǎpnik) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Chinese Mandarin: 罪犯 (zuìfàn) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Chinese Mandarin: 犯罪分子 (fànzuì fènzǐ) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Chinese Mandarin: 違法者 /违法者 (wéifǎzhě) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Czech: zločinec — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Dutch: schuldige — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Finnish: syyllinen — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • French: contrevenant — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • German: Täter — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • German: Täterin — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • German: Straftäter — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • German: Straftäterin — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Greek: παραβάτης (paravátis) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Hungarian: jogsértő — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Hungarian: bűnöző — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Hungarian: bűnelkövető — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Icelandic: lögbrotamaður — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Indonesian: pelanggar — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Irish: ciontóir — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Italian: contravventore — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Italian: corrigendo — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Japanese: 罪人 (zainin) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Japanese: 犯罪者 (hanzaisha) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Macedonian: престапник (prestapnik) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Manx: foiljagh — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lovbryter — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lovbrytar — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Persian: خاطی (xâti) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Persian: قانونشکن (qânun-šekan) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Polish: przestępca — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Portuguese: transgressor — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Portuguese: criminoso — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Portuguese: réu — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Russian: престу́пник (prestúpnik) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Russian: престу́пница (prestúpnica) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Russian: правонаруши́тель (pravonarušítelʹ) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Russian: правонаруши́тельница (pravonarušítelʹnica) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Scottish Gaelic: ciontach — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Spanish: ofensor — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Spanish: ofendedor — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Swedish: gärningsman — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Swedish: gärningskvinna — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Telugu: అపరాధి (aparādhi) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Telugu: నేరస్థుడు (nērasthuḍu) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Thai: ผู้กระทําผิด — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Ukrainian: правопору́шник (pravoporúšnyk) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Ukrainian: правопору́шниця (pravoporúšnycja) — a person who commits an offense against the law
  • Welsh: pechadur — a person who commits an offense against the law
Real reading context

offender in complete knowledge articles