Executioner: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically used in legal or historical contexts to describe a person who carries out a death penalty after a legal trial.

• The executioner readied his tools for the scheduled execution.
• In medieval times, the executioner was a feared individual.

Historical term, mostly used to describe a person who executes people by hanging, often in stories, historical accounts, or old legal descriptions.

• The hangman prepared the noose for the condemned man.
• In the old West, he served as both sheriff and hangman.

This has a negative connotation and is often used in sensational or dramatic contexts, sometimes in fiction or to evoke a sense of fear or horror.

• In the dark corners of the city, the death dealer struck fear in the hearts of men.
• The infamous death dealer was known for his ruthless efficiency.

This term is more formal and used in legal or governmental discussions about the person who applies the death penalty.

• The capital punishment administer ensured the process was carried out according to the law.
• He worked as a capital punishment administer for over a decade.

This term is generally used in formal and historical contexts to refer to someone whose official job is to carry out death sentences. It is the most neutral term among the given words.

• The executioner carried out the sentence at dawn.
• In medieval times, the executioner was often masked to hide his identity.

This term is specifically used to describe someone who beheads people as a form of execution. It is often found in historical contexts, particularly those dealing with periods when beheading was a common method of execution.

• The headsman sharpened his axe in preparation for the execution.
• Many feared the sight of the headsman, knowing their fate was sealed.

This term refers to someone who carries out executions by hanging in public, a form that was historically meant to serve as a public deterrent. It carries a historical and slightly negative connotation given the public nature of the act.

• The public hangman was a figure both dreaded and despised in the small town.
• In the 18th century, the public hangman would draw large crowds to the town square.

This phrase is very dramatic and has a strong, almost mythic connotation. It might be used in fantasy literature or movies to describe a legendary figure or someone who causes death on a massive scale.

• The dark sorcerer was known as the death bringer across the lands.
• In the ancient tales, the death bringer would appear before great calamities.