criminology

[ krim-uh-nol-uh-jee ]

/ ˌkrɪm əˈnɒl ə dʒi /

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noun

the study of crime and criminals: a branch of sociology.

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Origin of criminology

1855–60; <Latin crīmin- (stem of crīmen;see crime) + -o- + -logy

OTHER WORDS FROM criminology

crim·i·no·log·i·cal

[krim-uh-nl-oj-i-kuhl], /ˌkrɪm ə nlˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, crim·i·no·log·ic, adjectivecrim·i·no·log·i·cal·ly, adverbcrim·i·nol·o·gist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use criminology in a sentence

French criminologist Alain Bauer says “ISIS did not like him at all.”
French Jihadi Mehdi Nemmouche Is the Shape of Terror to Come|Christopher Dickey|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dr. Casey Jordan, a criminologist and a professor of justice at Western Connecticut State University, agrees.
For the Cleveland Kidnapping Victims, a Tragic Sisterhood|Christine Pelisek|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
James Alan Fox, a criminologist who studies mass shootings, has debunked a lot of the myths of mass shooters.
Should People Be Forced to Buy Liability Insurance for their Guns?|Megan McArdle|December 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Roberta Bruzzone, a leading criminologist and technical consultant for Telefono Rosa, agrees.
Italy Struggles With Spate of Domestic-Violence Murders|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Perez Guadalupe, a criminologist, sociologist, and theologian, has brought a disciplined hand to Castro Castro.
Inside Joran Van Der Sloot’s Prison in Peru|Andrea Zarate|December 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As a criminologist, I have given some study to the effect of epilepsy and other nervous diseases on the criminal temperament.
The Shrieking Pit|Arthur J. Rees
They all looked eagerly at the criminologist on his return, but his face was sphinxlike.
The Black Box|E. Phillips Oppenheim
“This is Mr. Quest, the great criminologist,” he explained to the curator.
The Black Box|E. Phillips Oppenheim
It was said of him by Signor Paulo Coselli, the eminent criminologist, that he had a gift of intuition which was abnormal.
The Clue of the Twisted Candle|Edgar Wallace
The criminologist gloated over such speeches from such lips.
Stingaree|E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung

British Dictionary definitions for criminology

criminology

/ (ˌkrɪmɪˈnɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the scientific study of crime, criminal behaviour, law enforcement, etcSee also penology

Derived forms of criminology

criminological (ˌkrɪmɪnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl) or criminologic, adjectivecriminologically, adverbcriminologist, noun

Word Origin for criminology

C19: from Latin crimin- crime, -logy

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