1. plural of murderess; women who have committed murder
Usage: formal; somewhat archaic – ‘murderers’ is now more commonly used for all genders

Examples

• The trial involved two murderesses who had acted independently.
• Historical accounts describe several notorious murderesses from the Victorian era.
• The detective novel featured a pair of murderesses working together.
• Court records show that murderesses often received different sentences than their male counterparts.
• The prison housed both murderers and murderesses in separate wings.
• Literary works of the 19th century frequently portrayed murderesses as tragic figures.