English · Word Candidate

criminal

/ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: criminals

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Against the law; forbidden by law.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trái với luật pháp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

Foppish and fantastic ornaments are only indications of vice, not criminal in themselves.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Guilty of breaking the law.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vi phạm luật pháp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

The neglect of any of the relative duties renders us criminal in the sight of God.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Người vi phạm luật pháp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

‘[…] There's every Staffordshire crime-piece ever made in this cabinet, and that's unique. The Van Hoyer Museum in New York hasn't that very rare second version of Maria Marten's Red Barn over there, nor the little Frederick George Manning—he was the criminal Dickens saw hanged on the roof of the ga

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “criminal” mean?

Against the law; forbidden by law.

Is “criminal” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.