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 WebRoxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Minors' names are withheld in both criminal and in civil cases.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2024
Trump New York hush money case Former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway in New York.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The process of picking a jury is a critical phase in any criminal trial but especially so when the defendant is a former president and the presumptive Republican nominee.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
In the absence of criminal justice, maybe entertainment justice could suffice.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In: Alvin Bragg Donald Trump New York Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
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
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
Customers in San Diego and Orange counties have also called for criminal investigations.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Minors' names are withheld in both criminal and in civil cases.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2024
Trump New York hush money case Former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway in New York.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The process of picking a jury is a critical phase in any criminal trial but especially so when the defendant is a former president and the presumptive Republican nominee.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
In the absence of criminal justice, maybe entertainment justice could suffice.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In: Alvin Bragg Donald Trump New York Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
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
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 23 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
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