criminal

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English

Etymology

From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

criminal (comparative more criminal, superlative most criminal)

  1. Against the law; forbidden by law.
  2. Guilty of breaking the law.
    • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Difficulties of Obtaining Salvation:
      The neglect of any of the relative duties renders us criminal in the sight of God.
  3. Of or relating to crime or penal law.
    His long criminal record suggests that he is a dangerous man.
    • 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. , volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Murray, , →OCLC:
      The officers and servants of the crown, violating the personal liberty, or other right of the subject […] in some cases, were liable to criminal process.
  4. (figuratively) Abhorrent or very undesirable.
    Printing such asinine opinions is criminal!
    • 2020 May 6, Graeme Pickering, “Borders Railway: time for the next step”, in Rail, page 54:
      [...] I think it represents exceptional value for money and I think it would be criminal not to go ahead and build it."

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *krey-‎ (0 c, 86 e)

Collocations

with nouns
  • criminal law
  • criminal justice
  • criminal court
  • criminal procedure
  • criminal prosecution
  • criminal intent
  • criminal case
  • criminal act
  • criminal action
  • criminal behavior
  • criminal offenceliability
  • criminal investigation
  • criminal conduct
  • criminal defense
  • criminal trial
  • criminal history
  • criminal responsibility
  • criminal lawyer
  • criminal tribunal
  • criminal appeal
  • criminal process
  • criminal background
  • criminal mind
  • criminal conspiracy
  • criminal evidence
  • criminal gang
  • criminal organization
  • criminal underworld
  • criminal jurisprudence
  • criminal offender
  • criminal jury
  • criminal police
  • criminal past
  • criminal group
  • criminal punishment
  • criminal attorney
  • criminal violence
  • criminal report
  • criminal career
  • criminal psychology

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun

criminal (plural criminals)

  1. A person who is guilty of a crime, notably breaking the law.
    Synonyms: lawbreaker, offender, perpetrator
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      ‘ […]  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 gaol in Horsemonger Lane, by the way—’

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Derived terms

Compound words and expressions

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin criminālis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

criminal m or f (masculine and feminine plural criminals)

  1. criminal (against the law)
  2. criminal (guilty of breaking the law)
  3. criminal (of or relating to crime)

Derived terms

Noun

criminal m or f by sense (plural criminals)

  1. criminal (a person who is guilty of a crime)

Related terms

Further reading

Galician

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Adjective

criminal m or f (plural criminais)

  1. criminal (that constitutes a crime)
    Synonym: criminoso
  2. criminal (relating or pertaining to crimes)
    Synonym: criminoso
  3. (colloquial) that can be very bad in its class or that can be harmful

Noun

criminal m or f by sense (plural criminais)

  1. criminal (a person who has committed a crime)
    Synonym: asasino

Further reading

Occitan

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Adjective

criminal m (feminine singular criminala, masculine plural criminals, feminine plural criminalas) (Languedoc)

  1. criminal

Further reading

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin or Juridical Latin criminālis, from Latin crīmen.

Adjective

criminal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular criminale)

  1. criminal; illegal; against the law

Declension

Declension of criminal
Number Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Singular Subject criminals or criminaus criminale criminal
Oblique criminal criminale criminal
Plural Subject criminal criminales criminal
Oblique criminals or criminaus criminales criminal

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin or Juridical Latin criminālis (“criminal”), from Latin crīmen (“verdict; crime”).

Pronunciation

 

  • Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
  • Hyphenation: cri‧mi‧nal

Adjective

criminal m or f (plural criminais, not comparable)

  1. (law) criminal (of or relating to crime or penal law)
    Antecedente criminal.
    Criminal record.

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French criminel, Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen.

Pronunciation

Noun

criminal m (plural criminali, feminine equivalent criminală)

  1. criminal, felon, perpetrator, offender, lawbreaker
  2. murderer, slayer
  3. cutthroat, thug

Declension

Declension of criminal
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) criminal criminalul (niște) criminali criminalii
genitive/dative (unui) criminal criminalului (unor) criminali criminalilor
vocative criminalule criminalilor

Adjective

criminal m or n (feminine singular criminală, masculine plural criminali, feminine and neuter plural criminale)

  1. criminal, felonious, lawbreaking
  2. murderous, homicidal
  3. cutthroat

Declension

Declension of criminal
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite criminal criminală criminali criminale
definite criminalul criminala criminalii criminalele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite criminal criminale criminali criminale
definite criminalului criminalei criminalelor criminalilor

Related terms

Adverb

criminal

  1. criminally

Related terms

Further reading

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin or Juridical Latin criminālis (“criminal”), from Latin crīmen (“verdict; crime”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɾimiˈnal/
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: cri‧mi‧nal

Adjective

criminal m or f (masculine and feminine plural criminales)

  1. criminal
    Synonym: criminoso

Derived terms

Noun

criminal m or f by sense (plural criminales)

  1. criminal

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

Wikious
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Sagapedia