crim·i·nal
ˈkri-mə-nᵊl 
ˈkrim-nəl
1
: relating to, involving, or being a crime
criminal neglect
a criminal organization
2
: relating to crime or to the prosecution of suspects in a crime
criminal statistics
brought criminal action
the criminal justice system
3
: guilty of crime
also
: of or befitting a criminal
a criminal mind
4
: disgraceful
It's criminal how unfunny this comedy is.—
Rick Bentley
Rick Bentley
criminally
adverb
1
: one who has committed a crime
2
: a person who has been convicted of a crime
Synonyms
Examples of criminal in a Sentence
Adjective
a history of criminal behavior
The captain of the wrecked boat was accused of criminal negligence.
The company brought criminal charges against her.
It's criminal that the government is doing nothing to stop the problem.
Noun
car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals
Recent Examples on the WebSteven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Social workers said in court that none of the girls had a criminal history before being charged in Brown’s death but that all had been cited repeatedly for school truancy violations.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Police continue search:For Nashville shooting suspect who has extensive criminal history
Veteran CB Cameron Sutton turns himself in weeks after domestic violence allegation Florida has 7 of top 10 most expensive neighborhoods in America.
—USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
The decision came as lawyers for the Serna family, the San Diego Union-Tribune and CBS 8 News argued that the public has a right to see the evidence, some of which was presented in a criminal case filed against a county jail doctor and nurse.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
This latest move from the Sunflower County Youth Court comes months after a grand jury in Mississippi determined that there was no criminal conduct on behalf of Capers, who shot Aderrien.
—Jonathan Franklin, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The pair's appearance in N.Y.C. comes as former Marvel star prepares to receive his sentence in his criminal case following his guilty verdict in December.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Military lawyers will later determine if any of the officers should face criminal charges and whether the two senior officers, a major and a reserve colonel, would be cashiered from the army.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The latter ruled that Pitt did not abuse the children, and the FBI declined to bring any criminal charges against the actor.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
But as frustration among Panamanian officials has grown, the country’s security officials have deepened ties to several right-wing influencers who have become popular in the United States by portraying migrants as potential criminals and aid groups as profiteers encouraging their journey.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Avoid public Wi-Fi To minimize the risk of data interception by cyber criminals, use a virtual private network (VPN) or your mobile data instead of public Wi-Fi networks.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
Victims have had to resort to personally confronting the criminals to recover their property without the benefit of police support.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The agency says criminals appear to be switching tactics.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Secondly, there’s the danger that criminals will use any last-minute rush to migrate podcast subscription data, although users have until July to do this.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
After her release, maintaining her image of class and refinement was more important than ever, as she was routinely labeled a criminal in the press.
—Paul Alexander, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The bad actors ranged from shady business owners to pseudo tax preparers to internet-type criminals, according to law enforcement officials.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Jackson, who lists no prior local criminal history, has remained in custody in lieu of a $200,000 bond since his arrest and pleaded innocent to all the charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Social workers said in court that none of the girls had a criminal history before being charged in Brown’s death but that all had been cited repeatedly for school truancy violations.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Police continue search:For Nashville shooting suspect who has extensive criminal history
Veteran CB Cameron Sutton turns himself in weeks after domestic violence allegation Florida has 7 of top 10 most expensive neighborhoods in America.
—USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
The decision came as lawyers for the Serna family, the San Diego Union-Tribune and CBS 8 News argued that the public has a right to see the evidence, some of which was presented in a criminal case filed against a county jail doctor and nurse.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
This latest move from the Sunflower County Youth Court comes months after a grand jury in Mississippi determined that there was no criminal conduct on behalf of Capers, who shot Aderrien.
—Jonathan Franklin, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The pair's appearance in N.Y.C. comes as former Marvel star prepares to receive his sentence in his criminal case following his guilty verdict in December.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Military lawyers will later determine if any of the officers should face criminal charges and whether the two senior officers, a major and a reserve colonel, would be cashiered from the army.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The latter ruled that Pitt did not abuse the children, and the FBI declined to bring any criminal charges against the actor.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Top of that list: portraying Latino characters as gang members, drug cartel leaders and criminals.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
But as frustration among Panamanian officials has grown, the country’s security officials have deepened ties to several right-wing influencers who have become popular in the United States by portraying migrants as potential criminals and aid groups as profiteers encouraging their journey.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Avoid public Wi-Fi To minimize the risk of data interception by cyber criminals, use a virtual private network (VPN) or your mobile data instead of public Wi-Fi networks.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
Victims have had to resort to personally confronting the criminals to recover their property without the benefit of police support.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The agency says criminals appear to be switching tactics.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Secondly, there’s the danger that criminals will use any last-minute rush to migrate podcast subscription data, although users have until July to do this.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
After her release, maintaining her image of class and refinement was more important than ever, as she was routinely labeled a criminal in the press.
—Paul Alexander, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The bad actors ranged from shady business owners to pseudo tax preparers to internet-type criminals, according to law enforcement officials.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'criminal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near criminal
Cite this Entry
“Criminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
criminal
1 of 2 adjective
crim·i·nal
ˈkrim-ən-ᵊl
ˈkrim-nəl
1
: being or guilty of a crime
a criminal act
2
: relating to crime or its punishment
criminal court
criminality
noun
ˌkrim-ə-ˈnal-ət-ē
criminally
adverb
ˈkrim-ən-ᵊl-ē
-nə-lē
criminal
2 of 2 noun
: a person who has committed a crime
Legal Definition
criminal
1 of 2 adjective
crim·i·nal
ˈkri-mə-nəl
1
: relating to, involving, or being a crime
criminal neglect
criminal conduct
2
: relating to crime or its prosecution
brought a criminal action
criminal code
compare civil sense 4, penal
criminal
2 of 2 noun1
: one who has committed a crime
2
: a person who has been convicted of a crime
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share