noncriminal

adjective

non·​crim·​i·​nal ˌnän-ˈkri-mə-nᵊl How to pronounce noncriminal (audio)
-ˈkrim-nəl
: not criminal : not relating to, involving, or being a crime
a noncriminal civil offense
: not guilty of or prone to criminal activity
… has studied the prefrontal cortex of both violent criminals who were murderers, and noncriminal people, by way of MRI scans.Colleen Reynolds

Examples of noncriminal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Wyatt was issued a noncriminal traffic citation earlier this year and fired in April for the crash. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025 The administration has faced pushback from portions of Americans who have questioned the tactics and end goals of such policies, including detaining and in some instances deporting nonviolent and noncriminal immigrants. Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025 The plan, which is already underway, calls for using 3,000 ICE agents, including 1,800 from Homeland Security Investigations, which generally investigates transnational crimes and is not typically involved in arresting noncriminal immigrants. Daniella Silva, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025 Also appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot are questions about a St. Paul Public Schools levy and whether to empower the St. Paul City Council to impose administrative citations, or noncriminal fines. Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for noncriminal

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of noncriminal was in 1711

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Cite this Entry

“Noncriminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noncriminal. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Legal Definition

noncriminal

adjective
non·​crim·​i·​nal
ˌnän-ˈkri-mən-ᵊl
: not criminal
noncriminal conduct

More from Merriam-Webster on noncriminal

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