criminal

[krim-uh-nl]

adjective

1. of the nature of or involving crime.

   Synonyms: unlawful, felonious
   Antonyms: lawful

2. guilty of crime.

   Antonyms: innocent

3. Law.,  of or relating to crime or its punishment.

   a criminal proceeding.

4. senseless; foolish.

   It's criminal to waste so much good food.

5. exorbitant; grossly overpriced.

   They charge absolutely criminal prices.

noun

1. a person guilty or convicted of a crime.

   Synonyms: gangster, hoodlum, crook, felon, culprit, transgressor, evildoer, malefactor

criminal

/ ˈkrɪmɪnəl /

noun

1. a person charged with and convicted of crime

2. a person who commits crimes for a living

adjective

1. of, involving, or guilty of crime

2. (prenominal) of or relating to crime or its punishment

   criminal court

   criminal lawyer

3. informal,  senseless or deplorable

   a criminal waste of money

Other Word Forms

• criminally adverb
• noncriminal adjective
• noncriminally adverb
• quasi-criminal adjective
• quasi-criminally adverb
• subcriminal adjective
• subcriminally adverb
• supercriminal adjective
• supercriminally adverb
• uncriminal adjective
• uncriminally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin crīminālis, from Latin crīmin- (stem of crīmen “accusation, blame, charge”; crime ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminal¹

C15: from Late Latin crīminālis; see _crime , _-al ¹

Synonym Study

See illegal.

Example Sentences

“Many of Latin America’s most significant criminal organizations are now designated foreign terrorist organizations. The administration is demonstrating that this is not only rhetorical.”

From Los Angeles Times

Where women were at the center of “Mare,” men are the subject here — a cop and a criminal, symmetrically arranged — messed-up middle-aged single fathers who care about their kids.

From Los Angeles Times

It absurdly implies that arresting actual criminals — being in this country illegally is generally a civil matter — isn’t enough for local law enforcement to consider themselves true defenders of public safety.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think what we’re seeing is an uptick in the willingness of criminals within the community to assault officers head-on,” he said at the Aug. 26 meeting.

From Los Angeles Times

“If somebody is claiming two primary residences, that is not appropriate, and we will refer it for criminal investigation,” Pulte said last month.

From Salon

Related Words

• convict 
• crook 
• culprit 
• felon 
• fugitive 
• gangster 
• hoodlum 
• hooligan 
• lawbreaker 
• mobster 
• offender 
• thug 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of criminal?

A criminal is a person who commits crime. Criminal is also used to describe something involved in committing crime or related to crime. Criminal has a few other senses as an adjective.A criminal is a person who breaks the law and engages in illegal activity.

• Real-life examples: Shoplifters, kidnappers, bank robbers, and pirates are all criminals.



• Used in a sentence: The judged sentenced the two wanted criminals to prison for stealing a car.

As an adjective, criminal describes something involved in or related to committing a crime.

• Real-life examples: Stealing a car, robbing someone’s house, and printing fake money to use as real money are all criminal acts. They are all against the law, and a person will be arrested if caught doing any of these acts. Police might say a person is accused of criminal activity if they believe the person was doing something illegal.



• Used in a sentence: The gangster Al Capone was in charge of a criminal organization.

Criminal can also be used to describe something that is related to crime without actually engaging in it.

• Real-life examples: In the United States, criminal law is a collection of laws that state what the government or society says is a crime and will result in punishment by the state if someone is proved to have broken the law. A criminal lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in criminal law.



• Used in a sentence: When Jimmy was arrested for breaking into his neighbor’s house, he called a criminal lawyer to help him.