victim

B1 Topic:Crime & Justice

US /ˈvɪktɪm/ See IPA manual

Freq #1085

Meanings

1

noun
A person who is harmed, hurt, or killed by someone or something.

The victim of the robbery gave a full statement to the police.
2

noun
A person who is tricked or cheated.

He became the victim of an online scam.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a person who is tricked or... dupe

Opposites

offender

Word family

Forms victims

Derived forms victim-blaming

Related forms victimisationvictimisevictimismvictimistvictimizationvictimize

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

helpless victim
a person who is unable to defend themselves or prevent the harm done to them

Adjective + noun
innocent victim
a person who suffers harm despite having done nothing wrong

Adjective + noun
become a victim
to enter the state of being harmed or wronged by someone or something

Verb + noun
blame the victim
to hold the person who was harmed responsible for what happened to them

Verb + noun
hapless victim
a person harmed or deceived in unfortunate circumstances that invite pity

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

No victim, no crime

Simplified etymology

Victim comes from Latin victima, which originally meant an animal killed as a religious sacrifice. The modern application to a person harmed by someone else developed in the mid-17th century.

Etymology

From Middle French victime, from Latin victima (“sacrificial animal”).

*weyk- Proto-Indo-European victime Middle French victima Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Crime & Justice

External links

# victim

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈvɪktɪm/
**Frequency rank:** 1085

## Meanings
1. A person who is harmed, hurt, or killed by someone or something.
2. A person who is tricked or cheated.

## Examples
- The victim of the robbery gave a full statement to the police.
- He became the victim of an online scam.

## Antonyms
- offender

## Derived Forms
- victim-blaming

## Related Forms
- victimisation
- victimise
- victimism
- victimist
- victimization
- victimize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *weyk-
- Root: victime
- Root: victima

## Etymology
From Middle French victime, from Latin victima (“sacrificial animal”).

## AI Etymology
Victim is from Middle French victime, from Latin victima (“sacrificial animal”). Important historical forms include Proto-Indo-European *weyk-, Middle French victime, and Latin victima. In present-day use, it can mean a person who is harmed, hurt, or killed by someone or something, or a person who is tricked or cheated. Derived formations include victim-blaming. Related words include victimisation, victimise, victimism, victimist, victimization.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice

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