accused

• (noun): First attested in the 1590's.
• From accuse (“blame”) +‎ -ed

• (US) IPA^(key): /ə.ˈkjuzd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːzd

accused

1. simple past and past participle of accuse

accused (plural accused)

1. (law) The person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case.

   Synonym: accusee

   Antonym: accuser

• (noun): Most often preceded by the definite article the. The plural accuseds is non-standard, and not widely used.
• In Canada, accused is standard for the person being prosecuted for a crime; defendant is reserved for a party being sued civilly.

accused (comparative more accused, superlative most accused)

1. Having been accused; being the target of accusations.
   • 1883, Charlotte Mary Yonge, Landmarks of Recent History, 1770-1883‎, Walter Smith, pages 11–12:

     This power chiefly fell to the queen, and she was more accused than ever of too much leaning towards her own country; […]

   • 1891, Charles Grant Robertson, Caesar Borgia: The Stanhope Essay for 1891, B.H. Blackwell, pages 8–9:

     Naples had an almost stronger preference for the interposition of Spain, while the great republic of Venice in the eyes of Italy stood accused of aspiring to bring the whole peninsula under its sway, […]

   • 2007, Patricia Love, Steven Stosny, How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking about It: Finding Love Beyond Words, Random House, →ISBN, page 188:

     If she felt unimportant, you showed her that she was important to you. If she felt accused, you reassured her. If she felt guilty, you helped her feel better.

• succade