What do you call a person being accused?
Asked by: Hailie Barrows DVM | Last update: September 10, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (1 votes)
Andrew S. Kryder, Esq. The terms plaintiff and defendant are used in both civil and criminal cases. In criminal cases, the plaintiff is typically identified as “The People,” — the State, on behalf of the victim. The defendant is the individual(s) being accused of a crime or code violation.
What is another term for an accused person?
Definition of defendant. as in offender. a person who is being sued or accused of a crime in a court of law The jury believed that the defendant was guilty. offender.
What is the name of the person who accuses?
The person who makes the accusation is an accuser, while the subject against whom it is made is the accused.
What's another word for accusing someone?
blame, fault. put or pin the blame on. criminate, impeach, incriminate. bring an accusation against; level a charge against. asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch, sully.
What is the slang word for suspect?
What to Know. Sus is used as a synonym of suspicious, or suspect, as in “you've been acting pretty sus, I think you're up to something.” It's a slang word used to say that someone or something shouldn't be trusted.
What to do if someone is making false accusations against you.
What is a suspicious person called?
Definitions of suspicious. adjective. openly distrustful and unwilling to confide. synonyms: leery, mistrustful, untrusting, wary. distrustful.
What is the synonym of suspecting?
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspecting. suspicious. guessing. doubting. skeptical.
What do you call the person being accused?
Defendant. A person who is charged with a criminal offence. Another word for “an accused” is “defendant”.
What is the legal word for accuse?
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accuse. indict. blame. charge. prosecute.
What's a word for wrongly accused?
Calumny, libel, slander, defamation. Perjury. False witness. False accusation.
When someone makes false accusations against you?
If someone makes false accusations against you, it is possible to file a civil lawsuit against them for defamation. You may also decide to file criminal charges against them for making false accusations or filing a false police report.
What is accusing a person?
1. : to charge with a fault or offense : blame. He accused her of being disloyal. 2. : to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process.
What is the word for someone who makes accusations?
One of the following: maligner, calumniator, defamer, libeler, slanderer, traducer, vilifier.
What is the word for accusing someone without proof?
The noun defamation describes something very mean and completely deliberate, essentially a false accusation against someone or an attack on a person's good reputation. The terms libel and slander — written or spoken lies about a person, group, or business — both fall under the category of defamation.
What do you call the accuser?
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accuser. petitioner. troublemaker. appellant.
What is an example of accused?
He was accused of stealing the money. His children have accused him of neglect. You can't accuse him of being rude: he's always extremely polite. She has been accused of murder.
What is someone who is being sued or accused called?
DEFENDANT - The Defendant is the person being sued in a civil case, or the person who has been charged with a crime/driving offense in a criminal case.
What is the word when you accuse someone?
apprehend, attribute, betray, censure, criminate, finger, frame, impeach, impute, incriminate, inculpate, libel, litigate, recriminate, slander, slur, tax.
What is the word for accused but not guilty?
acquitted. An acquitted defendant is off the hook. If you're on trial for a crime and you're found "not guilty," then you're acquitted and you can go free.
What is a formal accusation?
Indictment - A formal, written accusation by the grand jury that there is enough evidence to believe the defendant has committed a crime. An indictment is sometimes referred to as a true bill.
What are the most common legal terms?
- Action, Case, Suit. A legal dispute brought into court for a hearing or trial.
- Answer. ...
- Acquit. ...
- Cause of Action. ...
- Challenge for Cause. ...
- Closing Argument. ...
- Complaint. ...
- Counterclaim.
What do you call someone who is suspicious?
apprehensive, careful, cautious, doubtful, incredulous, jealous, leery, mistrustful, skeptical, wary, watchful.
What is the nearest meaning of culprit?
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing. synonyms: perpetrator. offender, wrongdoer. a person who transgresses moral or civil law.
What is a suspect person?
a person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong, or something believed to have caused something bad: Police have issued a photograph of the suspect. The prime suspect in the case committed suicide.