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
Rick Bentley
criminally
adverb
1
: one who has committed a crime
2
: a person who has been convicted of a crime
Synonyms
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 WebRoxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Minors' names are withheld in both criminal and in civil cases.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2024
Trump New York hush money case Former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway in New York.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The process of picking a jury is a critical phase in any criminal trial but especially so when the defendant is a former president and the presumptive Republican nominee.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
In the absence of criminal justice, maybe entertainment justice could suffice.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In: Alvin Bragg Donald Trump New York Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Jackson, who lists no prior local criminal history, has remained in custody in lieu of a $200,000 bond since his arrest and pleaded innocent to all the charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Social workers said in court that none of the girls had a criminal history before being charged in Brown’s death but that all had been cited repeatedly for school truancy violations.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Deputy Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the police department has a Community Response Team that has been working in the Bronx since April 1 to aggressively target criminals on scooters.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
In some cases, postal officials are offering rewards of up to $150,000 for information to find the criminals.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
CIs rat out fellow criminals to spare themselves from prison.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Advertisement These sophisticated criminals have long operated in the Southland, taking advantage of the tourist visa system, which does not require a background check for travelers.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
When a customer unwittingly selects and loads money onto a tampered card, the criminal is able to access the card online and steal the balance.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
But a punitive mindset – which sees users as criminals – dictates punishment rather than compassion.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
Haiti doesn’t manufacture firearms, and the U.N. prohibits importing them, but that’s no problem for the criminals.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Customers in San Diego and Orange counties have also called for criminal investigations.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Minors' names are withheld in both criminal and in civil cases.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2024
Trump New York hush money case Former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway in New York.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The process of picking a jury is a critical phase in any criminal trial but especially so when the defendant is a former president and the presumptive Republican nominee.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
In the absence of criminal justice, maybe entertainment justice could suffice.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In: Alvin Bragg Donald Trump New York Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Jackson, who lists no prior local criminal history, has remained in custody in lieu of a $200,000 bond since his arrest and pleaded innocent to all the charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Social workers said in court that none of the girls had a criminal history before being charged in Brown’s death but that all had been cited repeatedly for school truancy violations.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
The movie follows three storylines featuring criminals in Los Angeles that intersect with one another.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Deputy Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the police department has a Community Response Team that has been working in the Bronx since April 1 to aggressively target criminals on scooters.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
In some cases, postal officials are offering rewards of up to $150,000 for information to find the criminals.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
CIs rat out fellow criminals to spare themselves from prison.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Advertisement These sophisticated criminals have long operated in the Southland, taking advantage of the tourist visa system, which does not require a background check for travelers.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
When a customer unwittingly selects and loads money onto a tampered card, the criminal is able to access the card online and steal the balance.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
But a punitive mindset – which sees users as criminals – dictates punishment rather than compassion.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
Haiti doesn’t manufacture firearms, and the U.N. prohibits importing them, but that’s no problem for the criminals.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'criminal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near criminal
Cite this Entry
“Criminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
noun
ˌkrim-ə-ˈnal-ət-ē
criminally
adverb
ˈkrim-ən-ᵊl-ē
-nə-lē
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 noun1
: one who has committed a crime
2
: a person who has been convicted of a crime
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