victimless

V4I1C3T1I1M3L1E1S1S1

adjective

Without a victim.

“He said that prostitution, drug trafficking, and gambling were victimless crimes.”

OriginProto-Germanic *lausaz ← Proto-Indo-European *lewHs- ← English victim →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectivevictimless (not comparable)
  1. not comparablecrimelawWithout a victim.

    He said that prostitution, drug trafficking, and gambling were victimless crimes.

    1 more example

    They have got fairly liberal laws on victimless crimes, but the Los Angeles police are still busy entrapping homosexualists because the police chief in Los Angeles is very antifag.

    1983, Michael Denneny, Charles Ortleb, Thomas Steele, The Christopher Street reader, page 297

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyk-
  2. Latinvictima
  3. Middle Frenchvictime
  4. Englishvictim
  5. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  7. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  8. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  9. Englishvictimless

From victim + -less.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch slachtofferloos
  • slachtofferlooswithout a victim
Cite this entry
APA

victimless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/victimless

MLA

“victimless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/victimless. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “victimless,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/victimless.

Source: victimless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.