pengotor

Pengotor is an Indonesian term that can function as a noun meaning a person who dirties things or as an adjective meaning dirty or filthy. It can refer to physical dirt, such as grime or refuse, or to a person viewed as untidy or morally unclean in a social sense. The word expresses the agentive idea of causing dirt or contamination.

Etymologically, pengotor derives from the root kotor, meaning dirty, combined with the agentive prefix peng- and the suffix -or to form a noun that designates “one who dirties.” The related verbs include mengotori (to dirty, to contaminate) and nouns such as kotoran (dirt, filth) and pengotoran (the act of dirtying) in Indonesian. The form is cognate with Malay usage and follows common Indonesian morphological patterns for agent nouns.

Usage and nuance vary by context. In everyday speech, pengotor can describe a person who is untidy or unclean, and it can carry a pejorative or insulting tone depending on intent and setting. In formal or neutral writing, more precise terms like orang yang tidak bersih or pelaku kotoran may be preferred. The term can also appear in literary or colloquial contexts to convey emphasis on dirt or impurity, whether physical or metaphorical, but its strongest connotation remains negative.

See also: kotor, kotoran, mengotori, pengotoran, pengotoran.