felon •\ˈfe-lən\• noun : someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime The word felon has appeared in 396 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Feb. 26 in "Life, With Dementia" by Pam Belluck: Realizing that California, with nearly 13,000 inmates 55 and older, could not adequately care for demented prisoners, Dr. Hodel, when she was starting the Gold Coat program, asked the regional chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to train inmates to help. The chapter's area director, Sara Bartlett, worried that she and Arlene Stepputat, then the program director, would not be safe as "women in a man's prison." She doubted whether violent felons could provide sensitive care. Both women were surprised that inmates seemed more receptive, with less-complicated emotional ties to the patients than many of the people they trained to care for relatives at home. "They were much easier to work with," Ms. Stepputat said. Learn more about the word "felon" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary.