as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
people should know with certainty that criminal behavior will be punished
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in offender
a person who has committed a crime
car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of criminal
Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Even after bringing him back stateside on a federal judge’s orders, criminal and immigration prosecutors have not stopped either trying to imprison or deport him, throwing the full weight of the federal government against one ordinary man.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
That would include several large cases to prosecute criminals.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminal
Adjective
Bush was charged with murder, home invasion and criminal possession of a firearm.
—Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Even after bringing him back stateside on a federal judge’s orders, criminal and immigration prosecutors have not stopped either trying to imprison or deport him, throwing the full weight of the federal government against one ordinary man.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
Executioner was a pulpy book series that told the muscular and bullet-filled adventures of Mack Bolan, a sniper turned one man army fighting against the Mafia, the KGB, terrorists and cyber-criminals, or whoever were the bad guys of his latest book’s era.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
That would include several large cases to prosecute criminals.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminal
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Noun
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Holmes qualified for the reduced term under a 2023 rule change allowing first-time offenders to do less time for some non-violent crimes, according to an order issued Thursday by the federal judge who sentenced her in 2022 for defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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And many Democrats see it as an effort to curb more liberal prosecutors who have embraced restorative justice policies, including steering nonviolent offenders away from prison sentences or taking more lax approaches to drug offenses.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Heifler was charged with ferdeal counts of unlawful possession of a destructive devices and unlawful making of destructive devices, officials said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Stanford School of Medicine prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Maxwell told Blanche during the two-day interview there was no client list, no blackmail scheme and, to her knowledge, no high-profile Epstein associates who committed illicit acts in connection with his crimes.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Jordan dissolved its local chapter this year following arrests authorities said were linked to illicit weapons activity.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Caleb Flynn was charged with murder, two counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of tampering with evidence, but a Miami County court official told Fox News Digital that the prosecutor is considering additional charges.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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The pending charges are armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and felonious assault, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Robert Gruendel filed the complaint in federal court in California, claiming wrongful termination after raising safety concerns with CEO Brett Adcock and chief engineer Kyle Edelberg in September 2025.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
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The United States declared Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention earlier in March, urging the Taliban to release Coyle and other hostages.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Criminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminal. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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