Crossword Dictionary

OFFENDER

offender, offenders - n 
one that offends 

wordplays

Synonyms

convict, criminal, culprit, delinquent, felon, lawbreaker, suspect, con, crook, jailbird, malefactor, sinner, transgressor, wrongdoer

thesaurus

Examples

The young offender had to be remanded in custody for ten days.

She is a persistent offender and has been arrested five times this year for shoplifting.

The offender must make restitution for the hurt that he or she has caused.

sentencedict

Etymology

early 15c., offendour, "a lawbreaker; a sinner," agent noun from offend (v.). Earlier was offendour (early 15c.), from Anglo-French.

offend (v.)
early 14c., offenden, "to disobey or sin against (a person, human or divine)," a sense now obsolete, from Old French ofendre "hit, attack, injure; sin against; antagonize, excite to anger" and directly from Latin offendere "to hit, thrust, or strike against," figuratively "to stumble, commit a fault, displease, trespass against, provoke," from assimilated form of ob "in front of against" (see ob-) + -fendere "to strike" (found only in compounds; see defend).

etymonline