Lawbreakers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who engage in acts that go against the established legal framework constitute a category of offenders
2. Individuals who commit crimes and thus contravene the legal statutes are identified as transgressors
3. Persons who do not follow the rules set by authorities and engage in illegal activities

Etymology: "Lawbreakers" is a plain compound: "law" plus "breaker," from Old English "lagu" (law, itself borrowed from Old Norse "lag," meaning something laid down) and "brecan" (to break), with the agent suffix "-er." The combination of "law" and "breaker" dates to Middle English, and the compound is written as two words in most usage, though dictionaries also list "lawbreaker" as a single closed form. The "breaker" element has a longer history in English than many people expect. Old English "brecan" meant to break in the physical sense, to smash or fracture, and the idea of breaking a rule or promise developed from that concrete base. The same extension appears in "law-breaking" and in phrases like "breaking a covenant," so the abstract sense of violating a legal obligation is built directly on the literal act of snapping something in two.

Synonyms: criminals, offenders, delinquents, transgressors, wrongdoers

Antonyms: law-abiding citizens, compliant, upholders, defenders, protectors