criminal

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

Definition of criminal

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

—

criminally

adverb

See criminal defined for English-language learners

See criminal defined for kids

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of criminal from the Web

Varga also noted that under the current Indiana criminal code, Stephens would be facing two misdemeanor charges, not two felonies.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Ohio man with 39 felony convictions sentenced to 6 years," 30 Aug. 2017
Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to honor a court order.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "‘Sheriff Joe’ and Everyday American Authoritarianism," 30 Aug. 2017
In addition to facing local or state criminal charges, TSA reserves the right to levy a civil penalty of up to $7,500 for bringing a dangerous weapon like a firearm to the checkpoint.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "Loaded firearm found at Boise Airport security checkpoint, marking 20th in 2017," 30 Aug. 2017
The applicants must pass a state inspection of their facilities — which are subject to municipal or county zoning approvals — as well as pass criminal background checks and reviews of their finances and business plans and operating procedures.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Locations of medical marijuana dispensaries won't be public until state licenses are issued," 29 Aug. 2017
The incident began when May — who had nine mostly minor criminal convictions dating to 1998 — and his brother Joseph drove two friends who had been shot to Aria-Frankford Hospital and left without speaking to police, who then gave chase.

— mensah m. dean, Philly.com, "Fired Philly cop who shot 3 men is back on the beat," 25 Aug. 2017
The Columbus, Ohio city prosecutor’s office declined to pursue criminal charges because of inconsistent information from the victim.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott expected to play Saturday vs. Raiders," 24 Aug. 2017
While cooking with avocado is healthy, there are definitely some people in the world who would find nixing the cheese in their pasta downright criminal.

— katina beniaris, Country Living, "There's Big Controversy Over This 'Low-Calorie' Mac-and-Cheese Recipe," 24 Aug. 2017
Wasechek pleaded guilty to five misdemeanors — possession of cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and criminal damage to property.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Big bust, big break: Milwaukee area men avoid prison for up north pot farm," 23 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'criminal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms

illegal, felonious, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful

Antonyms

lawful, legal, legitimate

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

criminal

noun

Definition of criminal

1 :one who has committed a crime

2 :a person who has been convicted of a crime

See criminal defined for English-language learners

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals

Recent Examples of criminal from the Web

Since Trump took office and Jeff Sessions has been running the show, ICE has been extremely aggressive about rounding up undocumented immigrants, often targeting people who aren't criminals and even trying to enter schools and track children.

— luke darby, GQ, "ICE Left 50 Women and Children at an Empty Texas Bus Station Before Hurricane Harvey," 27 Aug. 2017
But many in Vyksa mistrust Navalny, who is portrayed on state TV as a criminal.

— Washington Post, "Small town miles from Moscow sees a political awakening," 24 Aug. 2017
Anthony Medina, 24, pleaded not guilty to multiple murder counts, as well as charges of armed violence and being an armed habitual criminal, during a Friday hearing before Kane County Judge David Kliment.

— dan campana, Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora man pleads not guilty to Grove Street slaying," 18 Aug. 2017
Other detainees, criminals transferred from prisons while awaiting deportation hearings, wear orange and red jumpsuits, indicating the severity of their offenses.

— brian castner, Esquire, "The Fight of His Life," 16 Aug. 2017
At sentencing, the prosecution said at least 10 firearms sold by Clyne were later recovered at crimes scenes or in the hands of dangerous criminals.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "Man’s illegal gun sales led to firearms in felons’ hands, at murder scene," 15 Aug. 2017
Criminals serving life in prison at the Louisiana State Penitentiary reacted to recent changes in sentencing laws during interviews with WAFB television in Baton Rouge.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Angola lifers talk about Louisiana's criminal justice changes: report," 24 July 2017
Deliberately failing to file as a foreign agent may result in a felony criminal charge accompanied by steep monetary civil penalties.

— tom hamburger and rosalind s. helderman, chicagotribune.com, "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort files as foreign agent for Ukraine," 28 June 2017
President Vladimir Putin said in recent comments to reporters that criminals inside the country could have been involved without having been sanctioned by t he Russian government.

— bloomberg, Twin Cities, "Russian hacks on U.S. voting system hit 39 states, wider than previously known," 13 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of criminal

derivative of ¹criminal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms

crook, culprit, felon, lawbreaker, malefactor, miscreant, offender

Near Antonyms

gangbuster, lawman

Other Legal Terms

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

CRIMINAL Defined for English Language Learners

criminal

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

criminal

adjective crim·i·nal \ ˈkri-mə-nᵊl \

Definition of criminal for Students

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

2 :relating to unlawful acts or their punishment

criminal law

—

criminally

\-nᵊl-ē\ adverb

criminal

noun

Definition of criminal for Students

:a person who has committed an unlawful act

Law Dictionary

criminal

adjective crim·i·nal \ ˈkri-mə-nəl \

legal Definition of criminal

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 4, penal

criminal

noun

legal Definition of criminal

1 :one who has committed a crime

2 :a person who has been convicted of a crime

Learn More about criminal

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

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criminal

Definition of criminal

criminally

From the M-W Editors

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of criminal

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

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Other Legal Terms

criminal

Definition of criminal

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of criminal from the Web

Origin and Etymology of criminal

criminal Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

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Other Legal Terms

Phrases Related to CRIMINAL

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CRIMINAL Defined for English Language Learners

criminal

Definition of criminal for English Language Learners

criminal

Definition of criminal for English Language Learners

CRIMINAL Defined for Kids

criminal

Definition of criminal for Students

criminally

criminal

Definition of criminal for Students

Law Dictionary

criminal

legal Definition of criminal

criminal

legal Definition of criminal

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