Meanings
nounoffender (plural offenders)
plural offenders · alternative obsolete offendor · alternative obsolete offendour
- One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
Almost all down trains are late, however; the empty wagon trains are probably the worst offenders and one or two hours' late running by them is not unusual.
1961 March, Warren Smith, “The problems of train regulation - a study of operation at Trent”, in Trains Illustrated, page 169 - A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishoffendour
- Englishoffender
From Middle English offendour, offender, offendir, equivalent to offend + -er.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جَانٍ
- جَانٍ (jānin)a person who commits an offense against the law
Bulgarian виновник, нарушител
- виновник (vinovnik)one who gives or causes offense
- нарушител (narušitel)one who gives or causes offense
- престъпник (prestăpnik)a person who commits an offense against the law
Chinese Mandarin 冒犯者, 罪犯
- 冒犯者 (màofànzhě)one who gives or causes offense
- 罪犯 (zuìfàn)a person who commits an offense against the law
- 犯罪分子 (fànzuì fènzǐ)a person who commits an offense against the law
- 違法者 /违法者 (wéifǎzhě)a person who commits an offense against the law
Czech zločinec
- zločineca person who commits an offense against the law
Dutch schuldige
- schuldigea person who commits an offense against the law
Finnish rikkoja, loukkaaja
- rikkojaone who gives or causes offense
- loukkaajaone who gives or causes offense
- syyllinena person who commits an offense against the law
French contrevenant
- contrevenanta person who commits an offense against the law
German Täter, Täter
- Täterone who gives or causes offense
- Tätera person who commits an offense against the law
- Täterina person who commits an offense against the law
- Straftätera person who commits an offense against the law
- Straftäterina person who commits an offense against the law
Greek παραβάτης
- παραβάτης (paravátis)a person who commits an offense against the law
Hungarian jogsértő, bűnöző
- jogsértőa person who commits an offense against the law
- bűnözőa person who commits an offense against the law
- bűnelkövetőa person who commits an offense against the law
Icelandic lögbrotamaður
- lögbrotamaðura person who commits an offense against the law
Indonesian pelanggar
- pelanggara person who commits an offense against the law
Irish ciontóir
- ciontóira person who commits an offense against the law
Italian contravventore, corrigendo
- contravventorea person who commits an offense against the law
- corrigendoa person who commits an offense against the law
Japanese 罪人, 犯罪者
- 罪人 (zainin)a person who commits an offense against the law
- 犯罪者 (hanzaisha)a person who commits an offense against the law
Latin offensor
- offensorone who gives or causes offense
Norwegian Bokmål lovbryter
- lovbrytera person who commits an offense against the law
Persian مقصر, تقصیرکار
- مقصر (moqasser)one who gives or causes offense
- تقصیرکار (taqsirkâr)one who gives or causes offense
- خاطی (xâti)a person who commits an offense against the law
- قانونشکن (qânun-šekan)a person who commits an offense against the law
Polish przestępca
- przestępcaa person who commits an offense against the law
Portuguese ofensor, transgressor
- ofensorone who gives or causes offense
- transgressora person who commits an offense against the law
- criminosoa person who commits an offense against the law
- réua person who commits an offense against the law
Russian оби́дчик, оби́дчица
- оби́дчик (obídčik)one who gives or causes offense
- оби́дчица (obídčica)one who gives or causes offense
- престу́пник (prestúpnik)a person who commits an offense against the law
- престу́пница (prestúpnica)a person who commits an offense against the law
- правонаруши́тель (pravonarušítelʹ)a person who commits an offense against the law
- правонаруши́тельница (pravonarušítelʹnica)a person who commits an offense against the law
Scottish Gaelic ciontach
- ciontacha person who commits an offense against the law
Spanish ofensor, ofendedor
- ofensorone who gives or causes offense
- ofendedorone who gives or causes offense
- ofensora person who commits an offense against the law
- ofendedora person who commits an offense against the law
Swedish gärningsman, gärningskvinna
- gärningsmana person who commits an offense against the law
- gärningskvinnaa person who commits an offense against the law
Thai ผู้กระทำผิด
- ผู้กระทำผิดa person who commits an offense against the law
Ukrainian правопору́шник, правопору́шниця
- правопору́шник (pravoporúšnyk)a person who commits an offense against the law
- правопору́шниця (pravoporúšnycja)a person who commits an offense against the law
Welsh pechadur
- pechadura person who commits an offense against the law
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with offender
gendervendorsendertenderlenderrenderfendersurrenderdefenderblenderslendersplendorcontenderendersplendourpretendersuspenderengenderrecommendervenderascenderattenderdescenderamender
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
offender. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offender
MLA
“offender.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offender. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “offender,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offender.
Source: offender on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.