crime

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crime contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of crime are offense, scandal, sin, and vice. While all these words mean "a transgression of law," crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

When would offense be a good substitute for crime?

The words offense and crime are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

When can scandal be used instead of crime?

The meanings of scandal and crime largely overlap; however, scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

When is sin a more appropriate choice than crime?

The synonyms sin and crime are sometimes interchangeable, but sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

When could vice be used to replace crime?

In some situations, the words vice and crime are roughly equivalent. However, vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crime Elkhart still paying for past misconduct Since 2006, courts have exonerated six people wrongfully convicted of crimes in Elkhart. Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 July 2025 Violent crime overall is down in Detroit, according to city data. Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 4 July 2025 In her 30-year career, Laura has won numerous national awards for coverage of human trafficking, child welfare, crime and government secrecy. Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 23 June 2025 Her only 'crime' seems to be coming from the 'wrong' country. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for crime
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crime
Noun
  • That much of this criminality has occurred on American college campuses is because many who inhabit these campuses – faculty, administrators, and students – either support it or refuse to condemn it.
    Jay Bergman, Boston Herald, 21 June 2025
  • The state has failed to produce a single piece of evidence linking me to any act of violence or criminality.
    Mahrang Baloch, Time, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • Which is a shame, because there are alternatives to demolition, including one on display just a few blocks away.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 27 June 2025
  • His parents, Polish immigrants who fled German conquest and discrimination, took Indian land—and felt shame over doing so, having been uprooted themselves.
    Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • This momentary pause, this saving interruption of the headlong, breathless trajectory of rape or murder, admitted a kind of compassion, pity, even tenderness, halting injustice in its tracks.
    Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
  • One of the earliest warnings about pity in Western philosophy comes from the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus.
    Colin Marshall, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Whether they are regulated globally or locally, human rights violations within supplier networks will never reflect well on parent companies.
    Mary Foley, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • The case is likely to join a string of recent rulings from the Supreme Court's conservative majority that have unraveled campaign finance limits as violations of the First Amendment, allowing more money to flow into politics.
    June 30, CBS News, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • As a result, anyone who sought treatment for a physical illness at St. Leonard’s Hospital first had to confess their sins and have their soul cleansed.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
  • The Lorde’s Virgin birth came on June 27, and it was born with sin.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • He was also indicted on felony charges related to Jan. 6, but that case was dropped after Trump was elected in November.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
  • That was because Florida law did not have a felony charge for the reckless operation of a boat that resulted in serious injuries.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crime. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on crime

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