Harmer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or thing that inflicts physical or emotional injury on another or brings negative repercussions to a situation
2. An individual who deliberately or inadvertently causes damage or distress to another, often resulting in suffering
3. A person or entity that causes damage or suffering to others, whether deliberately or by accident, and can have a lasting negative impact on situations

Etymology: "Harmer" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is the noun "harm" with the agentive suffix "-er" attached, so it names whatever does the harming. The suffix does the same job in "baker", "teacher" and "driver", turning an action into the one who performs it. "Harm" itself is the older and more basic piece, and the combination simply follows the pattern English uses for people and things that carry out an action. The meaning of the noun is broader than a person doing harm on purpose. Because "harm" covers both deliberate injury and damage done through carelessness, "harmer" can point to an agent whose effect is harmful even when no harm was intended, and to something inanimate that does damage over time. The word's sense rests entirely on that base, so it reads as transparently as its parts.

Synonyms: damager, injurer, destroyer, defacer, vandal

Antonyms: protector, savior, rescuer, defender, guardian