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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prohibited
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of criminalized
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Trayvon fit the bill, criminalized because of his hoodie and brown skin.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
A number of countries in Europe have criminalized the burning of the national flag including France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Because of the revolts, Compton says, drumming and African spiritual practices were eventually criminalized in the colonies.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
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
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
Adjective
Grassley and other Republicans argue that by the time Smith formally inherited the case, the groundwork had already been laid for a wide-ranging operation that effectively criminalized political opposition.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Trayvon fit the bill, criminalized because of his hoodie and brown skin.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
A number of countries in Europe have criminalized the burning of the national flag including France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Because of the revolts, Compton says, drumming and African spiritual practices were eventually criminalized in the colonies.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalized
Verb
-
No court has outlawed private-sector diversity, equity, and inclusion.—
Essence,
Essence,
9 Sep. 2025
-
That’s largely because, in recent centuries, waves of colonizers globally discouraged or even outlawed the teaching and learning of Indigenous languages — eradication that researchers and technologists like Boyer, as well as organizations like UNESCO, are now working to undo.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
In contrast, 17 states -- such as Maryland and Wyoming -- that have not banned the use of wireless communication devices in schools on the state level.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The city has also banned tour groups of more than 25 people, loudspeakers and megaphones, and even standing on narrow streets to listen to tour guides.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Describing the damping precisely meant accidentally allowing forbidden precision in position or momentum.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Anthropic has introduced weekly rate limits for its Claude chatbot focused on curbing excessive—and forbidden—usage of Claude Code.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
At a talk at the Arkansas Attorney General’s office in Little Rock, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that reclassifying contraband cellphones as unauthorized could sidestep the rule.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
6 Sep. 2025
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Commissioners also said Erik Menendez's use of contraband cellphones was a factor in the denial.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In 2023, a barred owl known as Owen was rescued near Boston’s Faneuil Hall after ingesting rat poison.—
Nara Schoenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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