criminalized 1 of 2

criminalized

2 of 2

verb

past tense of criminalize
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of criminalized
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 Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 effectively criminalized what until then had been legal cannabis. Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026 Leno said the bill ensures classic car owners aren’t criminalized for driving their vehicles on a limited basis. Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Her lobbying resulted in legislation which surely was good for society—for instance, the 1978 Protection of Children Act, which criminalized child pornography. Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 Only Scorpio is still open, but both served as important spaces for LGBTQ+ people during a time when homosexuality was criminalized. Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026 Nicaragua’s last election in 2021 was widely disputed after Ortega detained opponents and business leaders and criminalized dissent. CNN Money, 21 July 2026 The case drew condemnation from governments and human rights organizations, which argued the charges criminalized artistic expression and political dissent. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026 The code criminalized traditional healers, who could be jailed for offering spiritual guidance. Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 9 July 2026 TaniHub, a case critics say criminalized standard market risk. Chandra Asmara, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalized
Adjective
  • Their forbidden love leads the Jade Emperor to decree their separation on opposite sides of the Milky Way.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • To control the dangerous unfettered use of magic, an oversight council established ground rules on what is considered forbidden magic and the knowledge of its existence.
    Kalai Chik, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Next Generation rules, which outlawed conflict between crewmembers, something that became a major frustration for Trek franchise writers.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
  • If the Democratic Party wanted to pass a national version of the DPA, thousands of DSPs would be outlawed and hundreds of thousands of DSP employees would either lose their jobs or be hired by Amazon.
    Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Jailbreaking involves persuading a model to ignore its safety rules and generate disallowed content.
    Nirmal Jingar, Forbes.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Facing fuel shortages at home, Moscow has banned gas and diesel exports through the end of January 2027.
    Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Prestianni denied the allegation and was subsequently banned by UEFA and FIFA after admitting to using a homophobic (rather than racist) slur against the Madrid forward.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Prior contraband attempts involved the launch of a drone from the dead end of Noe Street, just east of the facility, deputies said.
    Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Faced with this churn – as well as staffing, security and contraband-control concerns – many jails invest little in family visitation.
    Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • 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.
    Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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