criminal

1 of 2

adjective

crim·​i·​nal ˈkri-mə-nᵊl 

ˈkrim-nəl

1

: relating to, involving, or being a crime

criminal neglect

a criminal organization

2

: relating to crime or to the prosecution of suspects in a crime

criminal statistics

brought criminal action

the criminal justice system

3

: guilty of crime

also : of or befitting a criminal

a criminal mind

4

: disgraceful

It's criminal how unfunny this comedy is.

—Rick Bentley

criminally adverb

criminal

2 of 2

noun

1

: one who has committed a crime

2

: a person who has been convicted of a crime

Synonyms of criminal

Adjective

• illegal
• unlawful
• illicit
• felonious
• wrongful

Noun

• offender

Examples of criminal in a Sentence

Adjective

a history of criminal behavior

The captain of the wrecked boat was accused of criminal negligence.

The company brought criminal charges against her.

It's criminal that the government is doing nothing to stop the problem.

Noun

car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

According to witness testimony at the criminal and civil trials, Erickson and Grossman had been drinking at a Westlake Village restaurant and were heading to Grossman’s home on the night of the crash. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

Sebastian Vieru ran a mixed-martial-arts company with backing from two brothers, Mihăiță and Sorin Doroftei, who were later indicted for heading one of the largest criminal cartels in Romanian history. —Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Noun

Bankman-Fried’s clemency bid comes amid a wave of pardons that Trump has doled out to not only high-profile crypto figures—among them Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht—but also other white-collar criminals. —Camila Grigera Naon, Fortune, 9 June 2026

That makes family scams, now frequently enhanced by AI voice cloning, much easier for criminals to execute. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French criminal, borrowed from Latin crīminālis, from crīmin-, crīmen "indictment, crime" + -ālis -al entry 1

Noun

derivative of criminal entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing criminal

• career criminal
• criminal conversation
• criminal court
• criminal law
• criminal lawyer
• criminal mind
• criminal record

Rhymes for criminal

• liminal
• noncriminal
• subliminal

Kids Definition

criminal

1 of 2 adjective

crim·​i·​nal ˈkrim-ən-ᵊl 

ˈkrim-nəl

1

: being or guilty of a crime

a criminal act

2

: relating to crime or its punishment

criminal court

criminality

ˌkrim-ə-ˈnal-ət-ē

noun

criminally

ˈkrim-ən-ᵊl-ē, 

-nə-lē

adverb

criminal

2 of 2 noun

: a person who has committed a crime

Legal Definition

criminal

1 of 2 adjective

crim·​i·​nal ˈkri-mə-nəl 

1

: relating to, involving, or being a crime

criminal neglect

criminal conduct

2

: relating to crime or its prosecution

brought a criminal action

criminal code

compare civil sense 4, penal

criminal

2 of 2 noun

1

: one who has committed a crime

2

: a person who has been convicted of a crime