Explanation
Criminalization is the act of making something criminal, or making it against the law. When the U.S. Congress made it illegal to consume or sell alcohol in 1920, that criminalization of drinking ushered in a historic period known as Prohibition. Any activity can be criminalized, or go through a process of criminalization. When Sleeping Beauty's parents banished shuttlecocks and spinning wheels from their fairy tale kingdom, that was the criminalization of spinning. The word can also apply more generally to not just to the outlawed activity, but to people or practices associated with it. Thus, a law making it a crime to eat candy might be called "the criminalization of Halloween." And crime or not, that's just wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing criminalization
Words with 15 or More Letters, List 5
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crim, crimin (judgement; accusation)
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crim, crimin
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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.
“East of the River” washes away the stain of criminalization that local media used to cheapen Ever’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“The Interstate Milk Freedom Act would make it easier for families to buy the milk of their choice,” Massie said when he announced the bill, “by reversing the criminalization of specific dairy farmers.”
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Homeless advocacy organizations saw those edicts as a push for criminalization of homelessness and mental illness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
But deemphasizing criminalization would be a good starting point.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2025
Supporters of the bill, including veterans and first responders, said it would have shifted the state’s response to mental health crisis away from criminalization and punishment.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
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.
