Synonyms for criminal
- adjective
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Vicious — abhorrent or very undesirable
vicious, wrong, nefarious, immoral, sinister, vile, iniquitous, wicked, abominable, sinful, detestable, deplorable, condemnable, repugnant, flagitious formal rare
2. Illegal — against the law; forbidden by law
illegal, unlawful, wrongful, illicit, illegitimate, outlawed, crimeful rare, delictuous rare
3. Guilty — guilty of breaking the law
guilty, culpable, reprehensible, to blame, blameworthy, peccant dated, censurable rare
Other
Noun
1. Felon
felon, offender, outlaw, crook, delinquent, perpetrator, hoodlum, convict, sinner, culprit, villain, trespasser, transgressor, bandit, bad actor, malefactor, desperado
Other
public enemy, law-breaker, scoff-law, double-dealer, malfeasant rare
Definitions
- adj. 1
Against the law; forbidden by law.
- adj. 2
Guilty of breaking the law.
- adj. 3
Abhorrent or very undesirable.
Printing such asinine opinions is criminal!
- n. 1
A person who is guilty of a crime, notably breaking the law.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- criminals → felons, offenders, outlaws, crooks…
Choose the right word
Every criminal act is illegal or unlawful, but illegal or unlawful acts may not be criminal. Offenses against public law are criminal; offenses against private rights are merely illegal or unlawful.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- sinister Gustavo's tone and mannerisms were really sinister.
- immoral Be immoral, cheat and steal. Such people live well.
- nefarious Nothing is more nefarious than hopelessness.
- illegal Do you think that handguns should be made illegal?
- unlawful You have a duty not to comply with an unlawful order.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| criminal | steady | |
| sinister | rising | |
| immoral | steady | |
| nefarious | rising | |
| iniquitous | falling | |
| illegal | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- vile1
- 5 letters
- wrong1, crook1, felon2
- 6 letters
- guilty2, wicked2, outlaw2, sinner2, bandit2, sinful2
- 7 letters
- illegal3, villain2, vicious2, convict2, immoral3, illicit3, culprit2, hoodlum2, peccant
- 8 letters
- unlawful3, offender3, sinister3, wrongful2, outlawed2, culpable3, crimeful
- 9 letters
- nefarious4, repugnant3, desperado4, felonious4
- 10 letters
- deplorable4, delinquent3, abominable5, detestable, trespasser, iniquitous, malefactor4, flagitious, delictuous, censurable, malfeasant
- 11 letters
- perpetrator4, condemnable, blameworthy
- 12 letters
- illegitimate5, transgressor3
- 13 letters
- reprehensible5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (felon2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- criminel
- Italiano
- criminale
- Español
- criminal
- Deutsch
- Krimineller