What does mulcted mean?
Mulcted is the past tense and past participle of mulct, a formal verb meaning to fine or impose a monetary penalty. It is used most often when someone has been punished by a court, regulatory body, or other authority for wrongdoing, as in “the fraudster was mulcted in the sum of £10,000.” The word can also function as an adjective describing a person who has been subjected to such a penalty. Its tone is elevated, legalistic, and somewhat archaic, so modern speakers may prefer fined, penalized, or punished. The term is related to a long legal and financial tradition of using monetary penalties to punish offenses, and its continued presence in formal writing gives it a distinctly historical character.
To impose a fine or monetary penalty on someone, especially for misconduct.
"The court mulcted the defendant in the amount of $10,000."
Formal and chiefly legal; “fined” is more common in modern general usage.
Subjected to a fine or monetary penalty.
"The mulcted officials agreed to pay the penalties imposed by the inquiry."
Uncommon outside formal, legal, or historical prose.
Mulcted comes from the language of financial punishment: a mulct is a fine, so a mulcted person has been made to pay one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mulcted come from?
Mulct derives from Latin, where mulcta referred to a financial penalty or fine. The English verb developed through the Latin forms mulctare and related forms associated with imposing or suffering a penalty. Its present-day use is largely formal, and the word is especially common in legal and historical writing.
Related word forms
How mulcted is actually used
Mulcted is formal and now relatively uncommon outside legal, historical, or deliberately elevated prose. It is especially associated with being fined by a court or authority.
Easily confused with mulcted
Mulcted means fined or penalized, whereas malted means made with malt or containing malt.