felon vs malefactor

felon and malefactor both are nouns.

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

As nouns, felon and malefactor are synonyms defined as:

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

Other synonyms of felon include criminal, crook, outlaw.

felon (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
a purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area surrounding the nail