criminal vs malefactor

criminal and malefactor both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
criminal	Yes	Yes	No	No
malefactor	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, criminal and malefactor are synonyms defined as:

criminal and malefactor: someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

Other synonyms of criminal include crook, felon, outlaw.

criminal (noun)	malefactor (noun)
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime	someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

criminal (adjective)	malefactor (adjective)
guilty of crime or serious offense
involving or being or having the nature of a crime
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure