criminalize
verb (used with object)
to make punishable as a crime.
criminalized
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past participleof criminalize.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof criminalize.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
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.
“We were already being criminalized and singled out,” said Maria Puerta Riera, a Venezuelan-American political science professor in Orlando and Colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025
He was also gay at a time when homosexuality was criminalized in Britain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
In 1988, under pressure from Washington, Bolivia passed Law 1008, which criminalized all coca cultivation outside a designated zone in the Yungas.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2025
Cimino asked: “Why is she criminalized for the act that he did?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
Her trial's likely to prove rather interesting, however, as she only commits "crimes" in areas of social activity that haven't even been defined yet, much less successfully criminalized.
From The Cyberpunk Fakebook by St. Jude
