criminal

noun

A person who is guilty of a crime, notably breaking the law.

adjective

Guilty of breaking the law.

Of or relating to crime or penal law.

Against the law; forbidden by law.

(figuratively) Abhorrent or very undesirable.

Roots

crimencrimin- · Latin · charge, judgment

Synonyms for criminal

feloniousadj felonn malefactorn misfeasor scofflawn offendern outlawv lawbreakern crookn wrongdoern indictableadj reprehensibleadj malfeasantn delinquentadj guiltyadj

Synonyms & related words for criminal

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of criminal — including felonious, felon, malefactor, misfeasor, scofflaw, offender. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to criminal

Explore words related to criminal — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include noncriminal, felony, criminality, crimes, criminally, highbinder, lawbreaking, felonry. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for criminal

Common synonyms for criminal include felonious, felon, malefactor, misfeasor, scofflaw, offender, outlaw, lawbreaker — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does criminal come from?

The word criminal breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root crimin-, from Latin crimen (“charge, judgment”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.