criminal

qua·si-crim·i·nal·ly, adverbsub·crim·i·nal, adjectivesub·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbsu·per·crim·i·nal, adjective, nounsu·per·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbun·crim·i·nal, adjectiveun·crim·i·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby criminal

crime-fighter, crimen injuria, crime passionnel, crime sheet, crimewave, criminal, criminal assault, criminal code, criminal contempt, criminal conversation, criminal court

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT CRIMINAL

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.

Where does criminal come from?

The first records of criminal come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin crīminālis, which comes from the Latin crīmen, meaning “crime” or “charge.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to criminal?

criminally (adverb)
noncriminal (adjective)
noncriminally (adjective)
quasicriminal (adjective)

What are some synonyms for criminal?

What are some words that share a root or word element with criminal?

What are some words that often get used in discussing criminal?

How is criminal used in real life?

Criminal is a common word that refers to people who commit crime or things that are related to crime.

If anyone asks you for money to publish your book, it is a scam and they are criminals.

— Cassandra Clare (@cassieclare) December 16, 2014

People really try to perform the criminal acts they see in movies and expect to get away with it.

— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) February 12, 2014

Everyone on Twitter just became an expert on Florida criminal law.

— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) July 14, 2013

Try using criminal!

Is criminal used correctly in the following sentence?

The police were searching for a criminal who stole from a grocery store.

How to use criminal in a sentence

The mayor wants to change that — by ensuring tickets go to the Superior Court’s traffic and minor offense division rather than the criminal division, where there’s been a backlog of cases and the burden of proof is higher.
Despite Crackdown Announcement, Not Much COVID-19 Enforcement Is Happening|Jesse Marx|February 11, 2021|Voice of San Diego
It is still illegal to use marijuana under federal law, but nearly a third of all states have eased the criminal consequences for its recreational use.
South Dakota voters said yes to legalizing marijuana. But a judge ruled it’s unconstitutional.|Teo Armus|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
Many thieves use the same flatbed trucks and forklifts to steal hives that apiaries use to transport them—leading to the inescapable conclusion that the criminals looking to make a quick buck are often insiders.
Bee theft is almost a perfect crime—but there’s a new sheriff in town|Andrew Zaleski|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
The letter also notes under Maryland’s current criminal law, discovery of a spouse having sex with another person is similarly “inadequate provocation” for violence.
Md. Senate committee holds hearing on bill to ban panic defense|Philip Van Slooten|February 8, 2021|Washington Blade

“It can potentially lead to corruption,” said Giuseppe Fazari, professor of criminal justice at Seton Hall University.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press, and Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica|February 8, 2021|ProPublica
The judges who handle arraignments at criminal court in all five boroughs have a small fraction of their usual caseloads.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But most likely it was linked to the way priests identify with the poor in the face of government and criminal abuses.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Like any service for hire, it is extremely important for the traffickers to provide a reputable service, criminal as it is.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There was the empathetic way she dealt with the revelation that Mrs. Baxter is a former criminal.
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Having a criminal record can reduce the likelihood of getting a callback or job offer by 50 percent.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The policemen looked dull and heavy, as if never again would any one be criminal, and as if they had come to know it.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
There, the criminal, under sentence of death for the worst offences, is suffered to see those near and dear to him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The distinction also between civil and criminal law requires explanation.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
When he does this he ceases to be a socialist pure and simple and becomes a criminal as well.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
In short, I shall begin life all over again—as if I were a criminal in disguise instead of the sport of circumstances.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for criminal

criminal

/ (ˈkrɪmɪnəl) /

noun

a person charged with and convicted of crime

a person who commits crimes for a living

adjective

of, involving, or guilty of crime

(prenominal) of or relating to crime or its punishmentcriminal court; criminal lawyer

informal senseless or deplorablea criminal waste of money

Derived forms of criminal

criminally, adverb

Word Origin for criminal

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

criminal

OTHER WORDS FOR criminal

OPPOSITES FOR criminal

Origin of criminal

synonym study for criminal

OTHER WORDS FROM criminal

Words nearby criminal

MORE ABOUT CRIMINAL

What is a basic definition of criminal?

Where does criminal come from?

Did you know … ?

How is criminal used in real life?

Try using criminal!

Words related to criminal

How to use criminal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for criminal

Derived forms of criminal

Word Origin for criminal