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
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
The investigation unveiled last fall shows the different ends of the spectrum in how sports can be turned and potentially criminalized.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Along with Jim Crow laws that criminalized Blackness, the loophole allowed for the legal re-enslavement of Black Americans to financially benefit the state.
—
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
The bill criminalized seditious libel.
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Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
The deportation is particularly notable because Saab had become one of the most politically sensitive figures within Venezuela’s ruling structure, frequently portrayed by the Maduro regime as proof that Washington criminalized those helping the country circumvent sanctions.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—
Ghaya Ben Mbarek,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
The concept has been criminalized in Hawaii and incorporated into family or civil court definitions of domestic violence in states such as California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Homosexual activity is criminalized in several African countries.
—
Nicole Winfield The Associated Press,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
But first McCarty needed a sense of how many women were imprisoned at Mabel Bassett for crimes tied to their own abuse — a phenomenon that sentencing-reform advocates call criminalized survivorship.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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
The word also figured heavily in the Alien and Sedition Acts, a set of four 18th century laws that restricted citizenship, expanded the president’s authority to detain and deport foreigners, and criminalized dissenting speech.
—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
The investigation unveiled last fall shows the different ends of the spectrum in how sports can be turned and potentially criminalized.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Along with Jim Crow laws that criminalized Blackness, the loophole allowed for the legal re-enslavement of Black Americans to financially benefit the state.
—
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
The bill criminalized seditious libel.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
The deportation is particularly notable because Saab had become one of the most politically sensitive figures within Venezuela’s ruling structure, frequently portrayed by the Maduro regime as proof that Washington criminalized those helping the country circumvent sanctions.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—
Ghaya Ben Mbarek,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
The concept has been criminalized in Hawaii and incorporated into family or civil court definitions of domestic violence in states such as California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Homosexual activity is criminalized in several African countries.
—
Nicole Winfield The Associated Press,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 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.
-
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.
Verb
-
There’s currently no federal law prohibiting speculative ticketing, though some states such as Maryland and Oregon have outlawed the practice.
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The government outlawed the group after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June 2025 to protest British military support for Israel’s military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Adjective
-
More recently, mathematicians have been able to adapt Erdős’ method to get better estimates of Ramsey numbers where the forbidden cliques differ vastly in size.
-
And thank God for that, because forbidden love is my favorite type of drama to watch on Love Island.
Verb
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Last week, the UK government banned social media for under-16s starting next year, modeling its restrictions on those set by the Australian government in December.
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Authorities also banned alcohol consumption in several areas placed under the highest heat alert, including Paris, citing public safety concerns.
Adjective
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The indictment also charges four current and former federal inmates accused of coordinating drops using contraband cellphones.
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Officials said Monday 15 people were taken to the hospital after residents of the Horizon Juvenile Center, which houses young offenders, armed themselves with contraband and makeshift knives as chaos erupted Sunday.
Adjective
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The roommate, Maria Ortiz, 60, was struggling against a barred window, screaming for help, when firefighters in a tower ladder truck cut the bars and pulled her out.
-
The ash no longer remembers what caused the fire., dated 2026, includes greyish paintings, textiles showing people breaking free from chains, a room filled mostly with rubble, a jerky machine, and altar-like niches with barred windows.
Cite this Entry
“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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