noun
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the state or quality of being criminal
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rare (often plural) a criminal act or practice
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of criminality
From the Medieval Latin word crīminālitās, dating back to 1605–15. See criminal, -ity
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.
Bris urged the government to instead continue its reforms of SiS homes, and to strengthen networks around children in institutional care to ensure they do not fall back into criminality on their release.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
He called the offending "organised and sophisticated criminality which has been committed for selfish gain".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The BBC asked the Nigerian government to respond to Shell's claim that the authorities were unable to deal with the organised criminality, but has not received an answer.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
In 2018, the Senate said mobster criminality and political inaction had caused an ecological disaster in the region.
From Barron's • May 23, 2026
He had almost as much as declared his conviction of her criminality last night: what mysterious cause withheld him from accusing her?
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
