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Showing results for criminal.
Definitions

criminal

[krim-uh-nl] / ˈkrɪm ə nl /
ADJECTIVE
lawless, felonious
Synonyms
STRONGEST
corrupt deplorable illegal illegitimate illicit scandalous senseless unlawful vicious
STRONG
bent heavy racket wildcat wrong
WEAK
caught crooked culpable dirty hung up indictable iniquitous nefarious off base out of line peccant shady smoking gun unrighteous villainous wicked
Antonyms
STRONGEST
authorized blessed ethical good kind lawful legal legitimate moral noble proper pure right uncorrupt
WEAK
correct righteous
NOUN
person who breaks the law
Synonyms
STRONGEST
convict crook culprit felon fugitive gangster hoodlum hooligan lawbreaker mobster offender thug
STRONG
bad guy bad person baddie baddy blackmailer con delinquent desperado deuce evildoer guerrilla heavy hood hustler jailbird malefactor mug muscle outlaw racketeer repeater scofflaw sinner transgressor trespasser wrongdoer yardbird
WEAK
bad actor black marketeer ex-con inside person slippery eel
Antonyms
STRONGEST
police
WEAK
law

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.

Turkey has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks, and severe penalties for illegal possession.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Authorities detained Hui in 2023 while they investigated him for suspected criminal offenses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

When Brown and his team examined the report, they found that Georgia’s election board had already looked into its allegations, dismissing many altogether, and concluding that others came down to human error, not criminal wrongdoing.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Instead, Rudakubana was simply taken back to his family home in Banks, West Lancashire, and no criminal action was taken.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

She felt fiercely that she had to make up for her father’s criminal disloyalty, if it had existed, whatever it might have been.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Vocabulary lists containing criminal

Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"

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Module 1: Vocabulary Video Words

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Crime and Punishment

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