The victim of blackmail has been paying hush money for years, but now he realizes it is foolish, and has decided not to pay a red cent more.
Source: tatoeba (19154)
Victim
/ˈvɪktɪm/
Synonyms for "victim" (111 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: dupe, injured party, abductees, also ran, also-ran.
- Sentence evidence is available for victim, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, wiktionary, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "victim".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "victim"
Keep "victim" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "victim" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "victim", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "victim" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesMore specific
8 entriesaccident victimcircumstantial victimcrime victimfraud victimidentity theft victimmisfortune victimscam victimwar victim
Collocations
6 entriescrime victimvictim impactvictim of crimevictim servicesvictim statusvictim support
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
5 entriesTranslations
255 translations across 71 languages.
Afrikaans
4 entries- slagoffer noun (one who is harmed)
- slagoffer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- slagoffer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- slagoffer noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Albanian
1 entries- viktimë noun (one who is harmed)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- σφάγιον noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Arabic
4 entries- أضحية noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- أُضْحِيَّة noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- ضحية noun (one who is harmed)
- ضَحِيَّة noun (one who is harmed)
Armenian
4 entries- զոհ noun (one who is harmed)
- զոհ noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- զոհ noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- զոհ noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Assamese
1 entries- বলি noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Azerbaijani
4 entries- qurban noun (one who is harmed)
- qurban noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- zərərçəkən noun (one who is harmed)
- zərərçəkən noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
Bashkir
1 entries- ҡорбан noun (one who is harmed)
Belarusian
4 entries- афя́ра noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- ахвя́ра noun (one who is harmed)
- ахвя́ра noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- ахвя́ра noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Bengali
2 entries- বলি noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- শিকার noun (one who is harmed)
Bulgarian
4 entries- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- же́ртва noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Catalan
4 entries- víctima noun (one who is harmed)
- víctima noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- víctima noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- víctima noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 受害人 noun (one who is harmed)
- 受害者 noun (one who is harmed)
- 受害者 noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- 犧牲品 /牺牲品 noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Classical Nahuatl
1 entries- xōchimicqui noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Czech
4 entries- oběť noun (one who is harmed)
- oběť noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- oběť noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- oběť noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Danish
4 entries- offer noun (one who is harmed)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- offer noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Dutch
4 entries- gedupeerde noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- slachtoffer noun (one who is harmed)
- slachtoffer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- slachtoffer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Esperanto
1 entries- viktimo noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
Estonian
4 entries- ohver noun (one who is harmed)
- ohver noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- ohver noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- ohverdus noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Finnish
4 entries- uhri noun (one who is harmed)
- uhri noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- uhri noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- uhri noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
French
4 entries- victime noun (one who is harmed)
- victime noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- victime noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- victime noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Galician
4 entries- vítima noun (one who is harmed)
- vítima noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- vítima noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- vítima noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Georgian
4 entries- დაზარალებული noun (one who is harmed)
- დაზარალებული noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- დაზარალებული noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- მსხვერპლი noun (one who is harmed)
German
4 entries- Opfer noun (one who is harmed)
- Opfer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- Opfer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- Opfer noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Greek
4 entries- θύμα noun (one who is harmed)
- θύμα noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- θύμα noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- θύμα noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- viktim noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Hebrew
4 entries- חָלָל noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- חָלָל noun (casualty of hostility)
- נפגע noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- קָרְבָּן \ קורבן noun (one who is harmed)
Hindi
1 entries- शिकार noun (one who is harmed)
Hungarian
4 entries- sértett noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- áldozat noun (one who is harmed)
- áldozat noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- áldozat noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Indonesian
1 entries- kurban noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Iranian Persian
4 entries- ضَحِیِه noun (one who is harmed)
- قُرْبانی noun (one who is harmed)
- قُرْبانی noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- قُرْبانی noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Italian
4 entries- vittima noun (one who is harmed)
- vittima noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- vittima noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- vittima noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Japanese
4 entries- 犠牲 noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- 犠牲者 noun (one who is harmed)
- 生贄 noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- 被害者 noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
Kazakh
1 entries- құрбан noun (one who is harmed)
Khmer
2 entries- ជនរងគ្រោះ noun (one who is harmed)
- ជនរងគ្រោះ noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
Korean
4 entries- 피해자 noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- 희생 noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- 희생물 noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- 희생자 noun (one who is harmed)
Kyrgyz
2 entries- курман noun (one who is harmed)
- курмандык noun (one who is harmed)
Lao
1 entries- ເຫຍື່ອ noun (one who is harmed)
Latgalian
3 entries- pazīds noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- upere noun (one who is harmed)
- upere noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Latin
2 entries- hostia noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- victima noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Latvian
3 entries- upuris noun (one who is harmed)
- upuris noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- upuris noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Lithuanian
2 entries- auka noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- auka noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Macedonian
3 entries- жртва noun (one who is harmed)
- жртва noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- жртва noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Malay
4 entries- korban noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- mangsa noun (one who is harmed)
- mangsa noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- mangsa noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Maltese
1 entries- vittma noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Māori
4 entries- kaupēhipēhi noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- marurenga noun (one who is harmed)
- marurenga noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- marurenga noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Norwegian Bokmål
4 entries- dødsoffer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- offer noun (one who is harmed)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- dødsoffer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Old English
2 entries- onsægednes noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- tiber noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- ضحیة noun (one who is harmed)
- مغدور noun (one who is harmed)
Polish
4 entries- ofiara noun (one who is harmed)
- ofiara noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- ofiara noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- ofiara noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Portuguese
4 entries- sacrifício noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- vítima noun (one who is harmed)
- vítima noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- vítima noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Romanian
3 entries- jertfă noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- victimă noun (one who is harmed)
- victimă noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Russian
4 entries- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- же́ртва noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Scottish Gaelic
4 entries- ìobairteach noun (one who is harmed)
- ìobairteach noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- ìobairteach noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- ìobairteach noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- žȑtva noun (one who is harmed)
- žȑtva noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- žȑtva noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- žȑtva noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Slovak
4 entries- obeť noun (one who is harmed)
- obeť noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- obeť noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- obeť noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Slovene
4 entries- žrtev noun (one who is harmed)
- žrtev noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- žrtev noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- žrtev noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Spanish
4 entries- víctima noun (one who is harmed)
- víctima noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- víctima noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- víctima noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Swedish
4 entries- offer noun (one who is harmed)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- offer noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- offer noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Tagalog
2 entries- gihod noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- gihod noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Tajik
1 entries- қурбонӣ noun (one who is harmed)
Tatar
1 entries- корбан noun (one who is harmed)
Thai
3 entries- เหยื่อ noun (one who is harmed)
- เหยื่อ noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- เหยื่อ noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Turkish
3 entries- kurban noun (one who is harmed)
- kurban noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- kurban noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Turkmen
2 entries- gurban noun (one who is harmed)
- gurbanlyk noun (one who is harmed)
Ukrainian
4 entries- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a crime)
- же́ртва noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
- же́ртва noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
Urdu
2 entries- شِکار noun (one who is harmed)
- قُرْبانی noun (one who is harmed)
Uyghur
2 entries- قۇربان noun (one who is harmed)
- قۇربانلىق noun (one who is harmed)
Uzbek
2 entries- qurbon noun (one who is harmed)
- qurbonlik noun (one who is harmed)
Vietnamese
3 entries- lễ vật noun (a living being slain and offered as a sacrifice)
- nạn nhân noun (one who is harmed)
- nạn nhân noun (one who is harmed by a disaster or other adverse circumstance)
Sample sentences
35 total sentences available.
The tarantula seized its victim very quickly.
Source: tatoeba (40489)
Who is the victim of the accident?
Source: tatoeba (47147)
The victim is thought to have taken a large quantity of poison by mistake.
Source: tatoeba (48753)
Showing 4 of 35 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "victim"?
Closest matches include dupe, injured party, abductees, also ran, also-ran.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "victim"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.