noncriminal

adjective

non·​crim·​i·​nal ˌnän-ˈkri-mə-nᵊl 

-ˈkrim-nəl

: not criminal : not relating to, involving, or being a crime

a noncriminal civil offense

: not guilty of or prone to criminal activity

… has studied the prefrontal cortex of both violent criminals who were murderers, and noncriminal people, by way of MRI scans.

—Colleen Reynolds

Examples of noncriminal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given noncriminal resolutions. —New York Times, 2 Dec. 2024

The tickets, for violating local ordinances, are considered noncriminal offenses and can be punishable only by a fine. —Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, 25 Nov. 2024

In nearly half of those incidents, the misconduct triggered investigations by the Office of Professional Relations (OPR), a division responsible for investigating allegations of serious misconduct, both criminal and noncriminal. —Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2023

The Grammy winner pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, a noncriminal traffic violation. —Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

noncriminal

adjective

non·​crim·​i·​nal

ˌnän-ˈkri-mən-ᵊl

: not criminal

noncriminal conduct