as in outlawed
to make or declare contrary to the law
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prohibited
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Recent Examples of criminalized
Anita Varma, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025
In England at least, it’s now criminalized.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
The delayed care occurred in the aftermath of a new state law that criminalized performing the procedure to remove fetal tissue from the uterus with few exceptions, legislation that reproductive-rights advocates said could scare away doctors from performing the surgery for fear of prosecution.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
The pope, however, has not called for the practice to be criminalized and a 2023 Vatican doctrinal ruling pointed out that children born through surrogacy can be baptized.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024
The bill extends an original ban put in place in 2004 which criminalized commercial surrogacy within Italy.
—Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 17 Oct. 2024
The Israeli government has jailed Palestinian poets for posting poems to Facebook, and criminalized prominent human rights organizations.
—Stefanie Fox, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
Suffering from a grave infection, the 28-year-old medical assistant and single mother needed a procedure that had been criminalized in Georgia, with few exceptions.
—Alexandra Zayas, ProPublica, 3 Oct. 2024
But Congress effectively criminalized it in 1937 with passage of the Marihuana Tax Act.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Black people have for centuries called for more factual reporting that reflects their actual lives, because mainstream news has long criminalized and dehumanized their communities.
—Anita Varma, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025
In England at least, it’s now criminalized.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
The delayed care occurred in the aftermath of a new state law that criminalized performing the procedure to remove fetal tissue from the uterus with few exceptions, legislation that reproductive-rights advocates said could scare away doctors from performing the surgery for fear of prosecution.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
The pope, however, has not called for the practice to be criminalized and a 2023 Vatican doctrinal ruling pointed out that children born through surrogacy can be baptized.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024
The bill extends an original ban put in place in 2004 which criminalized commercial surrogacy within Italy.
—Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 17 Oct. 2024
The Israeli government has jailed Palestinian poets for posting poems to Facebook, and criminalized prominent human rights organizations.
—Stefanie Fox, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
Suffering from a grave infection, the 28-year-old medical assistant and single mother needed a procedure that had been criminalized in Georgia, with few exceptions.
—Alexandra Zayas, ProPublica, 3 Oct. 2024
But Congress effectively criminalized it in 1937 with passage of the Marihuana Tax Act.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalized
Adjective
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There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Benny and the Forbidden Garden, a 28-page book conceptualized and written by high-schoolers on the Placer County Youth Commission, follows a bunny who starts school and encounters a forbidden garden lush with intoxicating flowers.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2025
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Her investigation reveals forbidden rituals and buried wartime secrets connected to a sealed cave, with supernatural forces closing in around her.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s broad agreement the native owls are at risk, but the animal rights organizations behind the opposition letter this week say killing barred owls is not the answer.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2024
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Dogs and buzzards fought over a dead cat in the middle of the street, directly across from an officer who watched the ferocious struggle from a barred window, twirling the ends of his moustache.—
Alexander Sammon,
Harper's Magazine,
25 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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