criminal

[krim-uh-nl]

adjective

1. of the nature of or involving crime.

   Synonyms: unlawful, felonious
   Antonyms: lawful

2. guilty of crime.

   Antonyms: innocent

3. Law.,  of or relating to crime or its punishment.

   a criminal proceeding.

4. senseless; foolish.

   It's criminal to waste so much good food.

5. exorbitant; grossly overpriced.

   They charge absolutely criminal prices.

noun

1. a person guilty or convicted of a crime.

   Synonyms: gangster, hoodlum, crook, felon, culprit, transgressor, evildoer, malefactor

criminal

/ ˈkrɪmɪnəl /

noun

1. a person charged with and convicted of crime

2. a person who commits crimes for a living

adjective

1. of, involving, or guilty of crime

2. (prenominal) of or relating to crime or its punishment

   criminal court

   criminal lawyer

3. informal,  senseless or deplorable

   a criminal waste of money

Other Word Forms

• criminally adverb
• noncriminal adjective
• noncriminally adverb
• quasi-criminal adjective
• quasi-criminally adverb
• subcriminal adjective
• subcriminally adverb
• supercriminal adjective
• supercriminally adverb
• uncriminal adjective
• uncriminally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin crīminālis, from Latin crīmin- (stem of crīmen “accusation, blame, charge”; crime ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminal¹

C15: from Late Latin crīminālis; see _crime , _-al ¹

Synonym Study

See illegal.

Example Sentences

It now faces criminal charges alleging it violated environmental laws.

From Los Angeles Times

"Free speech is a British value - we've guarded it for centuries. But if you incite racist violence and hatred, that's not expressing concern - it's criminal."

From BBC

He has promised to "launch the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history" - but it is not known whether the Iranian nationals being deported have criminal records.

From BBC

However, Qatar reacted with fury, saying the strike was a "criminal assault" that constituted a "blatant violation of all international laws and norms".

From BBC

Mr Pikalo sees himself as a reformer within his department, and wants Ukraine to focus more on rehabilitation, instead of punishment, when it comes to criminals.

From BBC

Related Words

• convict 
• crook 
• culprit 
• felon 
• fugitive 
• gangster 
• hoodlum 
• hooligan 
• lawbreaker 
• mobster 
• offender 
• thug 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of criminal?

A criminal is a person who commits crime. Criminal is also used to describe something involved in committing crime or related to crime. Criminal has a few other senses as an adjective.A criminal is a person who breaks the law and engages in illegal activity.

• Real-life examples: Shoplifters, kidnappers, bank robbers, and pirates are all criminals.



• Used in a sentence: The judged sentenced the two wanted criminals to prison for stealing a car.

As an adjective, criminal describes something involved in or related to committing a crime.

• Real-life examples: Stealing a car, robbing someone’s house, and printing fake money to use as real money are all criminal acts. They are all against the law, and a person will be arrested if caught doing any of these acts. Police might say a person is accused of criminal activity if they believe the person was doing something illegal.



• Used in a sentence: The gangster Al Capone was in charge of a criminal organization.

Criminal can also be used to describe something that is related to crime without actually engaging in it.

• Real-life examples: In the United States, criminal law is a collection of laws that state what the government or society says is a crime and will result in punishment by the state if someone is proved to have broken the law. A criminal lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in criminal law.



• Used in a sentence: When Jimmy was arrested for breaking into his neighbor’s house, he called a criminal lawyer to help him.