as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
people should know with certainty that criminal behavior will be punished
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in offender
a person who has committed a crime
car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of criminal
Patrick Maguire, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Federal prosecutors said Clark was dealing cocaine and fentanyl, and had criminal contacts in the Los Angeles area.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Greg Rucka and Eduardo (100 Bullets) Risso craft a soul-slicing tale of the far end of honor among criminals.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for criminal 
Adjective
Trump has denied all allegations in this case, as well as four other criminal cases, two of which revolve around his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and one, which was dismissed, where he was charged for taking confidential documents from the White House at the end of his presidency.
—Patrick Maguire, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Federal prosecutors said Clark was dealing cocaine and fentanyl, and had criminal contacts in the Los Angeles area.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Pursued by both criminals and the police, Mac and his daughter must work together to prevent the cargo falling into dangerous hands and survive to live another day.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Greg Rucka and Eduardo (100 Bullets) Risso craft a soul-slicing tale of the far end of honor among criminals.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for criminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminal
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2017
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.Lisa Beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, 5 July 2017
Adjective
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Court documents show a Maricopa County Superior Court grand jury indicted Jeffrey Michael Kelly on Oct. 29 on four counts of unlawful use of an infectious biological substance or radiological agent.Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and America PAC over the offer, calling it an unlawful lottery under Pennsylvania law and leading to Monday’s court hearing.David Ingram, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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On Tuesday, Vice President Nguema Obiang Mangue ordered new measures to prevent judiciary and ministry officials from engaging in illicit acts at work, a government statement said.Reuters, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Cases like these — and the slew of illicit shops padlocked by police on the local news — have the potential to alarm Americans who have only just begun to support the notion of legalization, and provide fuel for those who are opposed to it.Lavanya Ramanathan, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Besides murder, the jury also found Coy guilty of felonious assault and reckless homicide.Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
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About a month after the shooting, the 46-year-old Coy was arrested and indicted on charges of murder, reckless homicide, felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty.Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Her opponent, Franky Carrillo, is a criminal justice reform advocate who was exonerated on a wrongful murder conviction.Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
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The executions also confirm that the government makes mistakes and takes shortcuts that lead to wrongful convictions.Brian Stull, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near criminal
Cite this Entry
“Criminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminal. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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