Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

criminal

play
adjective crim·i·nal \ˈkri-mə-nəl, ˈkrim-nəl\

Definition of criminal

  1. 1 :  relating to, involving, or being a crime criminal neglect a criminal organization

  2. 2 :  relating to crime or to the prosecution of suspects in a crime criminal statistics brought criminal action the criminal justice system

  3. 3 :  guilty of crime; also :  of or befitting a criminal a criminal mind

  4. 4 :  disgraceful It's criminal how unfunny this comedy is. — Rick Bentley

criminally

adverb

See criminal defined for English-language learners

See criminal defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

image2144101468
Better Ways to Say "This Sucks"
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother
alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

  1. a history of criminal behavior

  2. The captain of the wrecked boat was accused of criminal negligence.

  3. The company brought criminal charges against her.

  4. It's criminal that the government is doing nothing to stop the problem.

Origin and Etymology of criminal

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French criminal, borrowed from Latin crīminālis, from crīmin-, crīmen “indictment, crime” + -ālis 1-al


First Known Use: 15th century

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms
illegal, felonious, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful
Antonyms
lawful, legal, legitimate
Related Words
bad, evil, immoral, shameful, sinful, unethical, wicked, wrong; blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible; banned, barred, contraband, criminalized, disallowed, discouraged, forbidden, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed; adulterine, bootleg, unauthorized, unlicensed, unsanctioned; under-the-counter, under-the-table; corrupt, unprincipled, unscrupulous, villainous
Near Antonyms
ethical, good, just, principled, right, righteous, virtuous; allowed, permitted; authorized, licensed; approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctioned; abetted, encouraged, promoted, suggested, supported; correct, decent, decorous, proper, seemly

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

2

criminal

noun crim·i·nal

Definition of criminal

  1. 1 :  one who has committed a crime

  2. 2 :  a person who has been convicted of a crime

See criminal defined for English-language learners

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

  1. car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals

Origin and Etymology of criminal

derivative of 1criminal


First Known Use: 1610

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms
crook, culprit, felon, lawbreaker, malefactor, miscreant, offender
Related Words
misdemeanant; accomplice, principal; desperado, outlaw; convict, jailbird; perp, perpetrator; evildoer, gallows bird, misdoer, misfeasor, sinner, transgressor, trespasser, villain, wrongdoer; blackhander, button man, gangster, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, racketeer, thug; enforcer, gun, gunman, gunsel [slang], hit man, triggerman; backslider, recidivist, relapser, repeater; accused, arrestee, defendant, detainee, fish, suspect
Near Antonyms
gangbuster, lawman

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Phrases Related to CRIMINAL

Related Phrases

CRIMINAL Defined for English Language Learners

criminal

play
adjective

Definition of criminal for English Language Learners

  • : involving illegal activity : relating to crime

  • : relating to laws that describe crimes rather than to laws about a person's rights

  • : morally wrong

criminal

noun

Definition of criminal for English Language Learners

  • : a person who has committed a crime or who has been proved to be guilty of a crime by a court

CRIMINAL Defined for Kids

1

criminal

play
adjective crim·i·nal \ˈkri-mə-nəl\

Definition of criminal for Students

  1. 1 :  being or guilty of an act that is unlawful, foolish, or wrong

  2. 2 :  relating to unlawful acts or their punishment criminal law

criminally

\-nəl-ē\ adverb
2

criminal

play
noun crim·i·nal

Definition of criminal for Students

  1. :  a person who has committed an unlawful act

Law Dictionary

1

criminal

play
adjective crim·i·nal \ˈkri-mə-nəl\

Legal Definition of criminal

  1. 1 :  relating to, involving, or being a crime criminal neglect criminal conduct

  2. 2 :  relating to crime or its prosecution brought a criminal action criminal code — compare civil 4, penal

2

criminal

noun crim·i·nal

Legal Definition of criminal

  1. 1 :  one who has committed a crime

  2. 2 :  a person who has been convicted of a crime

Learn More about criminal

  1. See words that rhyme with criminal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for criminal Spanish Central: Translation of criminal Nglish: Translation of criminal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of criminal for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up criminal? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

threshold

play

the point at which something begins

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

criminal

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

alt-59480e09b8844
A Pineapple Is An Apple (Kind Of)

Pineapple once had a different, more internationally common name.

alt-594938b88b98e
Read This to Get 'Smart'

A thinking person's guide

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: criminal in a Sentence