A person who provides information or secrets to someone, often in secretive or official contexts
Examples:
The detective valued his informant's feedback.An anonymous informant tipped off the journalist.Undercover work often requires finding a reliable informant.
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Antonyms:
Informer
/ɪnˈfɔːmə/
Someone who provides information, often secretly, to authorities or organizations
Examples:
The reporter relied on an informer for insider details.An informer tipped off the police about the planned heist.She was branded an informer and avoided by her peers.
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Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
Informant and informer both refer to people who provide information, but their connotations differ.
An informant is typically used in academic, ethnographic, or police work to describe someone who provides valuable insights or information respectfully.
An informer often carries a more negative connotation and can imply betrayal or deceit, particularly in legal or criminal contexts.
You can remember informant as someone who informs for knowledge, like in studies or research.
Informer can be remembered as someone who informs the authorities, often in a sense of divulging secrets.