as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
people should know with certainty that criminal behavior will be punished
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
For two seasons, Stallone's Dwight Manfredi, a Mafia caporegime tasked with setting up a criminal enterprise in Tulsa, has made plenty of friends and even more enemies in his quest to become king.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
After Germany’s defeat in the war, Fritz Kiehn was deemed a Nazi war criminal and imprisoned for the better part of three years.
—Robert M. Ehrenreich, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminal
Adjective
Greg Rogers spent decades as an undercover agent for the FBI and now teaches a class on serial killers and criminal psychology at UVU.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
For two seasons, Stallone's Dwight Manfredi, a Mafia caporegime tasked with setting up a criminal enterprise in Tulsa, has made plenty of friends and even more enemies in his quest to become king.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
Part of that negative association came from the medieval practice of using tattoos to punish criminals during Korea’s Goryeo Dynasty.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
After Germany’s defeat in the war, Fritz Kiehn was deemed a Nazi war criminal and imprisoned for the better part of three years.
—Robert M. Ehrenreich, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2025
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
-
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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See video … Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST for a breakdown on Congress’ push for tougher laws to keep repeat violent offenders off America’s streets.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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The opinion article, published in The Mercury News, argued that criminal-justice reforms had weakened consequences for serious offenders.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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African telecom companies are often at the mercy of government agencies that order the shutdowns, but pressure from the international community could increase accountability and compel the companies to deny unlawful or arbitrary shutdown orders, the researchers argued.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Oregon is calling for the court to declare Hegseth's order unlawful and to enjoin the federalization of troops, as well as permanently enjoin the defense secretary and the Pentagon from calling upon Oregon National Guard members for federal service.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hanson garnered a reputation as a great team player, an all-around hustler, and someone with valuable connections to illicit drugs that would help players through pain.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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The genre grew through messaging apps like Telegram and illicit networks like el paquete — the packet — a system where content is shared weekly via flash drives.—
Ana González Vilá,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Angel Holland and Aaron Stalling are under arrest on three counts each of felonious assault and endangering children.—
Jennifer Edwards Baker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Sep. 2025
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Travis Jackson, 36, is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and discharging a firearm.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Those other payouts — in wrongful termination lawsuits, disputes with contractors, lawsuits by parents whose children were taken from them and more — still totaled almost $63 million over the time period analyzed, with one-off, multimillion-dollar settlements driving up that total.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
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What’s more, tenants have filed a steady stream of complaints about their corporate landlords to state authorities, on issues such as maintenance neglect, undisclosed fees and wrongful evictions.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminal. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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