witchfinder general

noun

A title assumed by Matthew Hopkins, a 17th-century English witch-hunter.

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Meanings

nounwitchfinder general (plural witchfinders general or witchfinder generals)

plural witchfinders general · plural witchfinder generals · alternative witch-finder general

  1. historicalA title assumed by Matthew Hopkins, a 17th-century English witch-hunter.
  2. figurativelyby analogyAn overly zealous investigator or accuser.

Origin

From witchfinder + general.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

witchfinder general. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/witchfinder%20general

MLA

“witchfinder general.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/witchfinder%20general. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “witchfinder general,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/witchfinder%20general.

Source: witchfinder general on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.