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criminal negligence

American  
[krim-uh-nl neg-li-juhns] / ˈkrɪm ə nl ˈnɛg lɪ dʒəns /

noun

Law.
  1. an act or practice of negligence in which a person, disregarding what is reasonable to insure the care, safety, and protection of others, such as by leaving a loaded gun within reach of a child, is criminally liable for any consequential harm or death.


Etymology

Origin of criminal negligence

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Marine Investigations Board Chair Jason Neubauer told NBC News on Monday the hearings aim to determine the extent of any criminal negligence or misconduct which may then be referred to the Justice Department.

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2024

Legislatures have generally left the transformation of civil to criminal negligence vague.

From Slate • Aug. 20, 2024

Corrective Services New South Wales has maintained that the death was not suspicious, and an internal investigation found no criminal negligence.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2024

“Unfortunately, criminal negligence carries a much higher burden than civil negligence, and upon deliberating, the jurors decided there simply wasn’t enough certainty to proceed,” Williams said.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2023

In the meeting, he made a few points: This technology is new, and it’s not fair to assume Reggie should’ve known better, at least in a way that satisfies the standard of criminal negligence.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel