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

Protesters held banners decrying criminality and calling for law and order. —Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

Far from accidental, these highly intentional strikes are one of the untold stories of Russian criminality. —U.s. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026

The government's social media posts for those six instead rely upon the charges and arrests as evidence of their criminality, even though arrests don't always lead to charges and charges can be dismissed. —Huo Jingnan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026

But in the long run, that doesn’t do anything to dismantle networks of criminality or reduce the size of their operations. —Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 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