Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who is harmed or killed by another, especially by someone committing a criminal or unlawful act.
- noun A living creature slain and offered as a sacrifice during a religious rite.
- noun One who is harmed by or made to suffer under a circumstance or condition.
- noun A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A living being sacrificed to a deity, or in the performance of a religious rite; usually, some beast slain in sacrifice: but the sacrifice of human beings has been practised by many peoples with the object of appeasing the wrath or conciliating the favor of some deity, or in the ceremonies connected with the making of vows and covenants.
- noun A person sacrificed; a person killed or ruined, or greatly injured, or made to suffer in the pursuit of an object, or for the gratification of a passion or infatuation, or from disease or disaster: as, many have fallen victims to jealousy, to ambition; a victim to rheumatism; the victims of a railroad accident.
- noun One who is cheated or duped; a dupe; a gull: as, the victim of a confidence man.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A living being sacrificed to some deity, or in the performance of a religious rite; a creature immolated, or made an offering of.
- noun A person or thing destroyed or sacrificed in the pursuit of an object, or in gratification of a passion.
- noun A person or living creature destroyed by, or suffering grievous injury from, another, from fortune or from accident.
- noun colloq. Hence, one who is duped, or cheated; a dupe; a gull.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun original sense A living creature which is slain and offered as human or animal
sacrifice , usually in a religious rite; by extension, the transfigurated body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. - noun Anyone who is harmed by another.
- noun An aggrieved or disadvantaged party in a
crime (e.g. swindle.) - noun A person who suffers any other injury, loss, or damage as a result of a voluntary undertaking.
- noun An unfortunate person who suffers from a
disaster or other adverse circumstance. - noun Narratology. A character who is conquered or manipulated by a villain.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
- noun a person who is tricked or swindled
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I also thought it implied judgment on those who didn't survive or left them out--though the term victim is certainly loaded to.
The Terry Fox run/walk/wheel: I AM a survivor Elizabeth McClung 2008
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They claim the term victim implies that Bryant is guilty of sexual assault.
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"They use the word victim a lot but it's done to support or justify the get-tough-on-crime agenda, which really doesn't do a whole lot for most victims of crime," said Sullivan, who is now executive director of Ottawa Victim Services, a community-based agency that works primarily with women who have been abused by their partners.
Thestar.com - Home Page Diana Zlomislic 2011
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The defense objected to the term "victim," and Walgren changed it to "alleged victim."
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The term "victim" is inconsiderate and antiquated, as the majority of children with spina bifida go on to lead healthy and productive lives.
chron.com Chronicle 2011
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While the term victim seems to focus on what actually happened to the person, the term survivor emphasizes what occurs after the encounter.
Anarchist news dot org - News for anarchists and their friends 2010
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We all know crime occurs everywhere, but it's almost as if it's a bigger story if the victim is a U.S. citizen visiting Mexico.
Page 2 2010
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We all know crime occurs everywhere, but it's almost as if it's a bigger story if the victim is a U.S. citizen visiting Mexico.
Page 2 2010
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Murder cases in which the victim is a student are rare.
Virginia lacrosse player's death stuns campus community 2010
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We all know crime occurs everywhere, but it's almost as if it's a bigger story if the victim is a U.S. citizen visiting Mexico.
Page 2 2010
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