A criminal who extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them.

synonyms: blackmailer, extortionist.

Roget 739: severity; strictness, harshness etc. adj.; rigor, stringency, austerity; inclemency etc. (pitilessness) 914.1; arrogance etc. 885; precisianism^†.    arbitrary power; absolutism, despotism; dictatorship, autocracy, tyranny, domineering, oppression; assumption, usurpation; inquisition, reign of terror, martial law; iron heel, iron rule, iron hand, iron sway; tight grasp; brute force, brute strength; coercion etc. 744; strong hand, tight hand.    hard lines, hard measure; tender mercies [Iron.]; sharp practice; pipe-clay, officialism.    tyrant, disciplinarian, precisian^†, martinet, stickler, bashaw^†, despot, hard master, Draco, oppressor, inquisitor, extortioner, harpy, vulture; accipitres^†, birds of prey, raptorials^†, raptors^†.    ... show more

Roget 819: parsimony, parcity^†; parsimoniousness^†, stinginess etc. adj.; stint; illiberality, tenacity.    avarice, greed etc. 817.1. miser, niggard, churl, screw, skinflint, crib, codger, muckworm^†, scrimp, lickpenny^†, hunks, curmudgeon, Harpagon, harpy, extortioner, Jew, usurer; Hessian [U.S.]; pinch fist, pinch penny.    ... show more

Dutch: oplichter, chanteur, afperser
Polish: szantażysta