Definition

1. Noun:
   • The unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought: "Manslaughter" is a legal term for the crime of killing another person, but without the specific intent to kill or the extreme recklessness that characterizes murder. It is generally considered a less serious crime than murder.

Usage

• General Usage: The term is used almost exclusively in legal and formal contexts to describe a specific category of criminal homicide.
• Legal Distinction: It is crucial to distinguish "manslaughter" from "murder." The key difference is the absence of "malice aforethought" (premeditation or extreme indifference to human life). Manslaughter often involves killings that occur in the heat of passion, due to criminal negligence, or during the commission of a lesser crime.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter after the fatal accident.
  • The jury found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter, concluding he acted in a sudden fit of rage.
  • Involuntary manslaughter involves an unintentional killing resulting from criminal negligence.

Advanced Usage

• "Voluntary manslaughter": An intentional killing that is mitigated by circumstances, such as a killing committed in the "heat of passion" upon adequate provocation.

  • He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing the man who assaulted his family.

• "Involuntary manslaughter": An unintentional killing that results from criminal negligence or during the commission of an unlawful act that is not a felony.

  • The doctor's gross negligence led to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

• "Vehicular manslaughter": A form of involuntary manslaughter involving the killing of a person as a result of unlawful or negligent operation of a vehicle.

  • She was sentenced for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Variants and Related Words

• Manslayer (n, archaic): A person who commits manslaughter.
• Slaughter (n/v): While "slaughter" broadly means the killing of animals for food or the brutal killing of many people, "manslaughter" is a specific legal term for a single unlawful human killing without malice.

Synonyms

• Culpable homicide: A legal term used in some jurisdictions with a similar meaning to manslaughter.
• Unpremeditated killing: Describes the lack of prior planning, a common feature in manslaughter cases.

Antonyms

• Murder: The unlawful killing of a human being malice aforethought.

Noun

1. homicide without malice aforethought