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.
“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
Menu to Órale, an immigrant-led movement fighting to end the criminalization of immigrant communities.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2025
But deemphasizing criminalization would be a good starting point.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2025
“This is an opportunity to break away from those systems of criminalization and dehumanization,” said Martinez, a member of the Garifuna people and the queer community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
At The Cupcake Girls, an anti-sex trafficking organization, we have done significant research on how the criminalization and stigma of sex work paves the way for further marginalization.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 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.
