criminal
criminal Lexical Profile
criminal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, involving, or constituting a punishable offense against the law.
"The prosecutor presented compelling evidence of criminal activity during the trial."
Relating to the administration of penal law or the prosecution of public offenses, as opposed to civil law.
"She specialized in criminal law before being appointed to the federal bench."
Deplorable, shockingly wasteful, or morally reprehensible (used informally for emphasis).
"It is positively criminal to let so much fresh produce go to waste."
• noun
A person who has committed a crime or been legally convicted of a punishable offense.
"The authorities worked across international borders to apprehend the fugitive criminal."
• Rhymes for criminal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French criminel, from Late Latin criminalis ('relating to a crime'), derived from Latin crimen ('judgment, accusation, offense'), ultimately from the verb cernere ('to sift, decide, discern').