criminality

noun

crim·​i·​nal·​i·​ty ˌkri-mə-ˈna-lə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being criminal

2

: criminal activity

urban criminality

Synonyms of criminality

• crime

Examples of criminality in a Sentence

a report on the drop in criminality in large urban centers

Recent Examples on the Web

What about how police agencies understand criminality and risk can only be put on the table and frankly stated behind closed doors? — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026

The Jackson County District Attorney's office has previously said convening a grand jury does not mean there is any criminality and is standard procedure for most unnatural or suspicious deaths in the county. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Frenkel said that if criminality is found in complex investigations such as this one, federal prosecutors will typically file mail or wire fraud charges that carry up to 20 years in prison. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

From self-sufficient campaigns to opportunistic criminality Defenders used individual incidents, such as supply chain intrusions, ransomware outbreaks, and phishing waves, to quantify risk for the most of the past ten years. — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

criminal entry 1 + -ity, perhaps after French criminalité

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for criminality

• abnormality
• cardinality
• commonality
• communality
• cordiality
• corporeality
• criticality
• functionality
• generality
• geniality
• hospitality
• illegality

Legal Definition

criminality

noun

crim·​i·​nal·​i·​ty ˌkri-mə-ˈna-lə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being criminal

can't understand the criminality of his act

2

: crime sense 3

violent criminality