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victim

victim

1.5
A person who suffers harm, injury, loss because of an accident, crime or trick
  • noun
  • /ˈvɪktɪm/
translation icon : víctima
  • After the robbery, the victim reported the incident to the police and wrote down a description of the thief.
  • victims of bullying
  • victims of crime
  • identify victims

They're going to play the victim role and attack you.

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Examples

  • Students may find it less objectionable to identify victims of bullying than to identify classmates who are bullying others.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The counselors determined that only 10 of the students could be confirmed as victims of bullying.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Then it becomes the decision of the victim whether to accept this other god in his life.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The print we lifted from the victim is from your son.

  • You always thought of yourself as a victim.

  • Did you get the victim's autopsy report?

  • Likewise, students should be taught to support the victim rather than the bully.

    Academic text (2011)
  • As a result, the number of students who are actually victims of bullying may be overestimated.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I've been a victim of my own ignorance.

  • The charity provided support to the victim of the house fire and helped her find temporary housing.

Synonyms

prey
vsvictim
60 5.6

A person who others attack, trick, or make fun of

is broader and also applies to those harmed accidentally or by trickery
vic
vsvictim
  • Jargon
52 9.9

A person who is hurt or robbed in a crime

is a neutral formal expression covering accidents as well as crimes
dupe
vsvictim
  • Offensive
14 7.0

A person who is easily tricked into believing false things

is broader covering anyone harmed or cheated rather than only the gullible
injured party
vsvictim
4 5.5

A person who is physically harmed by an accident or crime

is broader and includes non-physical loss or being tricked
sufferer
vsvictim
3 3.7

A person who endures hardship to support a belief or cause

is used for people harmed by events or deceit rather than for principled endurance

Idioms

1 8.5

To pretend to be treated unfairly to get sympathy or avoid blame

Compounds

8.2

A person who often pretends to suffer to get attention or personal gain

9.7

A view that describes women mainly as helpless and without power

How Harmed

casualty
581 4.8
victim
1.5

Surface Forms

victim singular
victims plural

Etymology

The word victim comes from the old Latin word victima, which meant a 'sacrificed animal' or a person given up in a religious ceremony. Picture someone offered or harmed, and you can see why today a victim is a person who suffers harm, injury, or loss, the same idea as in the word sacrifice.