Meanings
nounserial killer (plural serial killers)
plural serial killers
- criminologyAn individual who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a period of more than one month in three or more separate events.
“It’s easier to sort of attribute these deaths to a boogeyman serial killer as opposed to confronting the real possible reasons that these deaths are happening,” she said, pointing to mental health, substance abuse and housing issues.
2025 October 27, Dalia Faheid, “Bodies keep being recovered from the bayous around Houston. Why officials are convinced it’s not the work of a serial killer”, in CNN, archived from the original on 28 Oct 2025
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who murders more than three victims one at a time in a relatively short interval
Similar
serial murderer
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Afrikaans reeksmoordenaar
- reeksmoordenaarperson who commits multiple murders
Arabic قَاتِل مُتَسَلْسِل, قَاتِلَة مُتَسَلْسِلَة
- قَاتِل مُتَسَلْسِل (qātil mutasalsil)person who commits multiple murders
- قَاتِلَة مُتَسَلْسِلَة (qātila mutasalsila)person who commits multiple murders
Basque serieko hiltzaile
- serieko hiltzaileperson who commits multiple murders
Bulgarian сери́ен уби́ец, сери́йна уби́йца
- сери́ен уби́ец (seríen ubíec)person who commits multiple murders
- сери́йна уби́йца (seríjna ubíjca)person who commits multiple murders
Catalan assassí en sèrie
- assassí en sèrieperson who commits multiple murders
Chinese Cantonese 連環殺手 /连环杀手
- 連環殺手 /连环杀手 (lin⁴ waan⁴ saat³ sau²)person who commits multiple murders
Chinese Mandarin 連環殺手 /连环杀手
- 連環殺手 /连环杀手 (liánhuán shāshǒu)person who commits multiple murders
Czech sériový vrah, sériová vražedkyně
- sériový vrahperson who commits multiple murders
- sériová vražedkyněperson who commits multiple murders
Danish seriemorder
- seriemorderperson who commits multiple murders
Dutch seriemoordenaar, seriemoordenaarster
- seriemoordenaarperson who commits multiple murders
- seriemoordenaarsterperson who commits multiple murders
Esperanto seria murdisto
- seria murdistoperson who commits multiple murders
Estonian sarimõrvar
- sarimõrvarperson who commits multiple murders
Finnish sarjamurhaaja
- sarjamurhaajaperson who commits multiple murders
French tueur en série, tueuse en série
- tueur en sérieperson who commits multiple murders
- tueuse en sérieperson who commits multiple murders
German Serienmörder, Serienmörderin
- Serienmörderperson who commits multiple murders
- Serienmörderinperson who commits multiple murders
- Serienkillerperson who commits multiple murders
- Serienkillerinperson who commits multiple murders
Greek σίριαλ κίλερ
- σίριαλ κίλερ (sírial kíler)person who commits multiple murders
Hebrew רוֹצֵחַ סִדְרָתִי
- רוֹצֵחַ סִדְרָתִי (rotséakh sidratí)person who commits multiple murders
Hindi सिलसिलेवार क़ातिल, सिलसिलेवार हत्यारा
- सिलसिलेवार क़ातिल (silsilevār qātil)person who commits multiple murders
- सिलसिलेवार हत्यारा (silsilevār hatyārā)person who commits multiple murders
Hungarian sorozatgyilkos
- sorozatgyilkosperson who commits multiple murders
Icelandic raðmorðingi
- raðmorðingiperson who commits multiple murders
Indonesian pembunuh berantai
- pembunuh berantaiperson who commits multiple murders
Italian assassino seriale, assassina seriale
- assassino serialeperson who commits multiple murders
- assassina serialeperson who commits multiple murders
- serial killerperson who commits multiple murders
- omicida serialeperson who commits multiple murders
- pluriomicidaperson who commits multiple murders
- pluriassassinoperson who commits multiple murders
Japanese シリアルキラー, 連続殺人犯
- シリアルキラー (shiriaru kirā)person who commits multiple murders
- 連続殺人犯 (renzoku satsujinhan)person who commits multiple murders
Korean 연쇄살인범, 련쇄살인범
- 연쇄살인범 (yeonswaesarinbeom)person who commits multiple murders
- 련쇄살인범 (ryeonswaesarinbeom)person who commits multiple murders
Latvian sērijveida slepkava
- sērijveida slepkavaperson who commits multiple murders
Lithuanian serijinis žudikas
- serijinis žudikasperson who commits multiple murders
Malay pembunuh bersiri
- pembunuh bersiriperson who commits multiple murders
Norwegian Bokmål seriemorder
- seriemorderperson who commits multiple murders
Polish seryjny morderca, seryjna morderczyni
- seryjny mordercaperson who commits multiple murders
- seryjna morderczyniperson who commits multiple murders
Portuguese assassino em série, assassina em série
- assassino em sérieperson who commits multiple murders
- assassina em sérieperson who commits multiple murders
- serial killerperson who commits multiple murders
Romanian asasin în serie, ucigaș în serie
- asasin în serieperson who commits multiple murders
- ucigaș în serieperson who commits multiple murders
Russian сери́йный уби́йца, сери́йная уби́йца
- сери́йный уби́йца (seríjnyj ubíjca)person who commits multiple murders
- сери́йная уби́йца (seríjnaja ubíjca)person who commits multiple murders
Slovak sériový vrah, sériová vrahyňa
- sériový vrahperson who commits multiple murders
- sériová vrahyňaperson who commits multiple murders
Spanish asesino en serie, asesina en serie
- asesino en serieperson who commits multiple murders
- asesina en serieperson who commits multiple murders
- asesino serialperson who commits multiple murders
Swedish seriemördare
- seriemördareperson who commits multiple murders
Thai ฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง
- ฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง (kâat-dtà-gɔɔn-dtɔ̀ɔ-nʉ̂ʉang)person who commits multiple murders
Turkish seri katil
- seri katilperson who commits multiple murders
Ukrainian сері́йний уби́вця, сері́йна вби́вця
- сері́йний уби́вця (seríjnyj ubývcja)person who commits multiple murders
- сері́йна вби́вця (seríjna vbývcja)person who commits multiple murders
Urdu سِلْسِلَہ وار قاتِل
- سِلْسِلَہ وار قاتِل (silsila vār qātil)person who commits multiple murders
Vietnamese sát nhân hàng loạt
- sát nhân hàng loạtperson who commits multiple murders
Welsh llofrudd cyfresol
- llofrudd cyfresolperson who commits multiple murders
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with serial killer
villamanilaAnguillagorillaGodzillaPriscillachinchillaflotillamanillaSillascintillaScyllaDrusillamaxillacedillapapillaaxillahydrillacamarillabarillamantillaperillaancillascilla
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
serial killer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serial%20killer
MLA
“serial killer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serial%20killer. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “serial killer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serial%20killer.
Source: serial killer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.