offender vs criminal

Both 'offender' and 'criminal' are correct terms, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Offender' is a more general term that can refer to anyone who has committed a crime, while 'criminal' specifically refers to someone who has been convicted of a crime.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 703 views

The term 'offender' is correct and commonly used in English to refer to someone who has committed a crime.

"offender"

Use 'offender' to refer to someone who has committed a crime, regardless of whether they have been convicted or not.

Examples:

The offender was caught on camera committing the crime.
The police are searching for the offender responsible for the burglary.

Show examples from the web [+]

I'm supervising a high-risk offender.
Mr Turner is an habitual offender.
Personality type of this offender, somewhere between organised and mad frenzy.
Physical limitation could be what attracted the offender to him.
We believe that the offender is female.
Until now, victimology, M.O., and physical abuse indicated a male offender.
You are not a violent offender, Tuvok.
We believe these children were abducted by a preferential offender who targets prepubescent boys.
Right now the only person she's protecting is the offender.
This offender's preferential, Young women mid- to late 20s.
This offender has shown no signs of any belief.
Everything but that points to an organized offender, An experienced one.
We'll find Doyle the way we find any other offender... by studying his behavior.
If he's an opportunistic offender, probably not.
They gave him dangerous offender status, no chance of parole.
Even minor crimes are punishable... by brutally chopping off the offender's hand.
wasn't just any minor offender.
He's the offender we're looking for.
Doesn't sound like the best environment for a violent offender.
Identifying the offender will be hard from the DNA samples.

Alternatives:

perpetrator
wrongdoer
lawbreaker
culprit
delinquent

The term 'criminal' is correct and commonly used in English to refer to someone who has been convicted of a crime.

"criminal"

Use 'criminal' to specifically refer to someone who has been found guilty of committing a crime.

Examples:

The criminal was sentenced to five years in prison.
He has a criminal record for theft.

Show examples from the web [+]

There's a criminal offence called wasting police time.
Don, you take the Brighton criminal.
Jean Yves Tatao is another career criminal.
The criminal mind is an enigma.
It's suspicious but hardly criminal.
Lights Leary is facing serious criminal allegations...
Shell companies to shield his criminal activity.
Sheriff Andy is programmed with the latest protocols in criminal investigation.
ODIN monitors every form of domestic electronic communication for criminal activity.
They got his prints from a criminal database.
Mr. House faces criminal charges for battery against...
Traffic in fresh usual criminal tendencies.
Murder victim was a Romanian war criminal.
I distinctly told Sir Wilfrid no criminal cases.
Jack Donaghy is an economic war criminal.
Extremely rare skill set, lifelong criminal.
Only I'm not a criminal.
My connection is only tertiary, certainly nothing criminal.
Whoever tied these was an ordinary criminal.
We've long suspected criminal activity at Axe Capital.

Alternatives:

convict
felon
lawbreaker
wrongdoer
delinquent

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offender vs criminal

"offender"

"criminal"

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