as in prohibited
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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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Recent Examples of criminalized
Solly Boussidan , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Open criticism of the war was criminalized early on.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
Middleton, an oil and gas executive, criticized Roy for pushing back against a GOP bill in Congress that would have criminalized providing hormone therapy to minors.
—Dallas Morning News, 17 Feb. 2026
Many legal cannabis ventures enrich hedge funds and politicians, and relatively few benefits accrue to the people who suffered jail time or worse when the drug was criminalized in every state.
—Ezra Marcus, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
When truth is criminalized, freedom becomes fragile.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
Universities are under threat of government interference, book banning has reached unprecedented levels, journalists and artists and media outlets and attorneys are being punished, silenced, and doxed, and dissent everywhere is being criminalized.
—Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
In Alabama’s pending appeal, the state argues begging was widely criminalized at the start of the nation so should not be protected speech under the First Amendment.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat who denounced his own government at the International Criminal Court, described Venezuela as a criminalized state dominated by narcotrafficking networks.
—Solly Boussidan , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Verb
They were followed by a sweeping security crackdown that criminalized dissent and reshaped the city’s legal system.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Open criticism of the war was criminalized early on.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
Middleton, an oil and gas executive, criticized Roy for pushing back against a GOP bill in Congress that would have criminalized providing hormone therapy to minors.
—Dallas Morning News, 17 Feb. 2026
Many legal cannabis ventures enrich hedge funds and politicians, and relatively few benefits accrue to the people who suffered jail time or worse when the drug was criminalized in every state.
—Ezra Marcus, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
When truth is criminalized, freedom becomes fragile.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
Universities are under threat of government interference, book banning has reached unprecedented levels, journalists and artists and media outlets and attorneys are being punished, silenced, and doxed, and dissent everywhere is being criminalized.
—Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
In Alabama’s pending appeal, the state argues begging was widely criminalized at the start of the nation so should not be protected speech under the First Amendment.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalized
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 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
-
In the wake of the protests, hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were shut down and outlawed.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Women, whether secular or religious, remain forbidden to read, write or tell stories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
One of Japan’s most beloved television personalities — and a perennial favorite-host winner — Matsuko brings her sharp insight and commanding presence to a forbidden auction staged in a mysterious underground space.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Seventh graders and older will also be banned, but parents can sign paperwork to allow their kids to use e-bikes.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Americans are sick of today's tipping culture — to the point where 83% say automatic service charges should be banned, according to new research.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The documentary, from filmmakers behind HBO’s The Jinx, was shot over six years on contraband phones by the men who risked their lives to participate in this film, which unearthed over 1,300 deaths of people in custody inside Alabama correctional facilities between 2019 and 2024.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
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While serving his sentence for the killing of Hernandez, Reed used a contraband cellphone to livestream video of himself beating up a cellmate in March 2021, authorities have said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The motions of stellar streams contain clues to how our barred spiral galaxy evolved over billions of years, including through collisions with other galactic realms.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Feb. 2026
-
One of the videos shows a group of men celebrating in a lighted hall, with barred cells on each side.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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