culprit
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culprit
A person who has done something bad, forbidden, or criminal; a guilty party or offender.
Die Polizei konnte den Übeltäter kurz nach dem Diebstahl fassen.
The police were able to catch the culprit shortly after the theft.
'Übeltäter' is made up of 'übel' (bad, evil) and 'Täter' (someone who commits an act). So it literally means 'someone who does something bad'.
Die Nachbarn haben den Übeltäter auf frischer Tat ertappt.
The neighbors caught the culprit in the act.
When referring to a person, 'Übeltäter' (culprit) is often used with verbs like 'fassen' (to catch), 'schnappen' (to grab/catch), 'finden' (to find), or 'identifizieren' (to identify), which refer to apprehending a guilty party.
Die Polizei hofft, den Übeltäter bald zu fassen.
The police hope to catch the culprit soon.
In the figurative meaning, the 'Übeltäter' (culprit) is not a person, but the cause of a problem. This use is often slightly humorous or informal.
Der Drucker funktioniert nicht! Ah, das leere Papierfach ist der Übeltäter.
The printer isn’t working! Ah, the empty paper tray is the culprit.
victim / sacrifice
'das Opfer' and 'der Übeltäter' often belong to the same bad situation, but they describe opposite roles. 'das Opfer' is the person who suffers the harm. 'der Übeltäter' has done something bad, forbidden, or criminal. Learners may confuse the words because both appear in texts about problems, conflicts, or crimes. Pay attention to the role: the person who suffers or is harmed is 'das Opfer'. The person who committed the act is 'der Übeltäter'.
In der Schule sucht die Lehrerin den Übeltäter, der das Fenster kaputt gemacht hat.
At school, the teacher is looking for the culprit who broke the window.
Anton war im Garten das Opfer eines Diebstahls.
Anton was the victim of a theft in the garden.