CRIMINALIZED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

criminalized 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of criminalized next

as in prohibited

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Dissimilar Words

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

In most cases, the possession of such drugs is federally criminalized, and that adds significant hurdles for researchers who are trying to study their effects. —

Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026 Their calls for justice persist despite a decade-old law that criminalized femicide, a crime now punishable by up to 50 years in prison. —

ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026 Kuwait and Bahrain have similarly criminalized filming and sharing footage of Iranian attacks. —

Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026 One gay man from a country in North Africa was nearly deported to Cameroon, where same-sex activities are criminalized, before his habeas petition was granted. —

Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026 The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized. —

Jennifer Bisram, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026 Hegseth wants to reform the military chaplain corps Hegseth’s church network, the CREC, preaches a patriarchal form of Christianity, where women cannot serve in leadership, and pastors argue that homosexuality should be criminalized. —

Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026 Eagan police detective Chad Clausen, who testified in favor of the bill, pointed out that 12 other states have already criminalized grooming. —

Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 18 Mar. 2026 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

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