criminal
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criminal
- /ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/ Australia, UK, US
- /ˈkɹɪm.ə.nəl/
Where it comes from
From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”).
adjective more criminal · most criminal
-
Against the law; forbidden by law.
Foppish and fantastic ornaments are only indications of vice, not criminal in themselves.
Similar: crimeful, delictuous, illegal, illicit, criminal, illegitimate, lawbreaking, nonlawful, outlawed, unlawful, wrongful
-
Guilty of breaking the law.
The neglect of any of the relative duties renders us criminal in the sight of God.
Similar: at fault, culpable, blameworthy, censurable, guilty, nocent, reprehensible, to blame
- Of or relating to crime or penal law. His long criminal record suggests that he is a dangerous man.
-
Abhorrent or very undesirable.
Printing such asinine opinions is criminal!
Similar: detestable, repugnant
noun criminals
-
A person who is guilty of a crime, notably breaking the law.
‘[…] There's every Staffordshire crime-piece ever made in this cabinet, and that's unique. The Van Hoyer Museum in New York hasn't that very rare second version of Maria Marten's Red Barn over there, nor the little Frederick George Manning—he was the criminal Dickens saw hanged on the roof of the ga
Similar: lawbreaker, offender, perpetrator, hoodlum, justice-impacted individual, criminal, crook, committer, culprit, delinquent, desperado, double-dealer
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: outlaw, illegal, felonious, felon, guilty, malefactor, reprehensible, condemnable, wrong, deplorable, crook, delinquency, delinquent, criminality, offender, crime
Translations
Every language
adj being against the law
| 한국어 | 범죄적 beomjoejeok |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 犯罪的 hanzai-teki |
| Kiswahili | mhalifu |
| Português | criminoso |
| Français | criminel |
| Deutsch | kriminell |
| Italiano | criminale |
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματικός egklimatikós, ποινικός poinikós |
| Română | infracțional, criminal |
| Русский | престу́пный prestúpnyj, кримина́льный kriminálʹnyj, уголо́вный ugolóvnyj |
| العربية | جِنَائِيّ jināʔiyy, إِجْرَامِيّ ʔijrāmiyy |
adj guilty of breaking the law
| 한국어 | 죄인 joein |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | mhalifu |
| Português | culpado |
| Français | criminel |
| Deutsch | kriminell |
| Italiano | criminale |
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματικός egklimatikós |
adj of or relating to crime
| हिन्दी | आपराधिक āprādhik |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | mhalifu |
| Português | criminal |
| Français | criminel |
| Deutsch | kriminell |
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματικός egklimatikós |
| Русский | кримина́льный kriminálʹnyj, уголо́вный ugolóvnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | tội phạm, hình sự |
| עברית | פְּלִילִי plilí |
adj abhorrent or very undesirable
| Kiswahili | mhalifu |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματικός egklimatikós |
noun person guilty of a crime, breaking the law
| Español | criminal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 범죄자 beomjoeja, 범인 beomin, 범죄인 beomjoein |
| 日本語 | 犯罪者 hanzaisha, 犯人 hannin, 犯罪人 hanzainin |
| 中文 | 罪犯 zuìfàn, 犯人 fànrén, 犯罪分子 fànzuì fènzǐ |
| हिन्दी | अपराधी aprādhī, दोषी doṣī, मुजरिम mujrim |
| Kiswahili | mhalifu |
| Português | criminoso, criminosa |
| Français | criminel, criminelle |
| Deutsch | Krimineller, Kriminelle, Verbrecher, Verbrecherin, Übeltäter, Übeltäterin |
| Italiano | criminale |
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματίας egklimatías |
| Română | infractor, infractoare |
| Русский | престу́пник prestúpnik, престу́пница prestúpnica, правонаруши́тель pravonarušítelʹ, правонаруши́тельница pravonarušítelʹnica |
| Tiếng Việt | tội phạm |
| العربية | مُجْرِم mujrim, مُجْرِمَة mujrima |
| עברית | עֲבַרְיָן 'avaryán |
Talk about this word "criminal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/criminal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. criminal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/criminal "criminal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/criminal.Cite this
@misc{criminal_2026,
title = {criminal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/criminal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
