Synonyms of culprit

culprit

noun

ˈkəl-prət 

as in offender

a person who has committed a crime

the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• offender
• criminal
• defendant
• lawbreaker
• suspect
• perpetrator
• malefactor
• miscreant
• crook
• accomplice
• principal
• villain
• perp
• convict
• outlaw
• wrongdoer
• misdemeanant
• thug
• trespasser
• transgressor
• desperado
• gun
• gangster
• jailbird
• triggerman
• fish
• sinner
• hooligan
• hoodlum
• mobster
• racketeer
• recidivist
• accused
• evildoer
• arrestee
• misdoer
• detainee
• backslider
• button man
• misfeasor
• gunsel
• gallows bird
• gunman
• enforcer
• hit man
• repeater
• blackhander
• relapser

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lawman
• gangbuster

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of culprit

While some political theorists blame alarmist and misleading rhetoric for this dilemma, others opine that the ultimate culprit that threatens American democracy is the electorate’s seemingly intractable polarization. —Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

The fact that McDonald’s has already been able to pinpoint the culprit, which comes from a single supplier sourcing three of its distribution centers, gives the impression that the company has a tight grasp on its supply chain. —Beth Kowitt, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024

Another possible culprit was pruning, the chore that in many ways defined my relationship to the garden. —Manjula Martin, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

But in Garcia’s view, the real culprit was Character. —Adam Carlson, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

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