Other Word Forms
- noncriminality noun
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.
The city’s medical examiner later attributed both deaths to drownings, and the police found no evidence of criminality.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
“You have an adequate understanding of the connection between the past defects and choices that you made that led to criminality and ultimately to the commitment offense,” a commissioner said to Funston.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
"Despite attempting to conceal their criminality, our in-depth investigation spanning the length and breadth of the country ultimately uncovered them," she said.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Officials say that most cases involved ordinary criminality - land disputes, theft, extortion, or personal feuds - that were later framed as religious violence.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
Even when released from the system’s formal control, the stigma of criminality lingers.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
