victim
n.-
1 person harmed by crime or accident (n.) B1 Intermediatesomeone who has been hurt, killed, or has suffered because of a crime, an accident, or a disaster.
a person who has come to feel the injurious effects of a crime, accident, or other adverse circumstance.
ExampleThe police are still looking for the person who attacked the victim in the park.
ExampleEmergency services worked through the night to identify the victims of the train derailment and notify their next of kin.
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2 person tricked or cheated (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatesomeone who is tricked or treated unfairly by another person.
an individual who is subjected to oppression, deceit, or exploitation.
ExampleHe was the victim of a scam that cost him all his savings.
ExampleThe investigation revealed that several elderly residents had fallen victim to a sophisticated phishing scheme targeting their pension accounts.
- trickster
- exploiter
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3 religious sacrifice (n.) C2 Proficiency Literary Archaic Religiona living thing that is killed as an offering to a god in a religious ceremony.
a living creature slain and offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite.
ExampleIn the ancient story, they chose a white bull as the victim for the ceremony.
ExampleThe high priest approached the altar where the ritual victim lay prepared for the solstice invocation.
From Middle French victime, from Latin victima (“sacrificial animal”).