Antonyms for criminal
ˈkrɪm ə nlcrim·i·nal

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. criminalnoun

   Synonyms:
   offender, lawbreaker, illegal, perpetrator

2. criminaladjective

   Being against the law; forbidden by law.

   Synonyms:
   lawbreaker, offender, perpetrator, illegal

3. criminaladjective

   Guilty of breaking the law.

   Synonyms:
   illegal

4. criminaladjective

   Of or relating to crime.

   Synonyms:
   illegal

5. criminaladjective

   Abhorrent or very undesirable, even if allowed by law.

   Printing such asinine opinions without rebuttal is criminal, even when not libel!

   Synonyms:
   illegal

6. criminaladjective

   Of or relating to crime control, notably penal law.

   His criminal record shows his resistance to all crime prevention and - repression.

   Synonyms:
   illegal

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. criminal

   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. As a general rule, all acts punishable by fine or imprisonment or both, are criminal in view of the law. It is illegal for a man to trespass on another's land, but it is not criminal; the trespasser is liable to a civil suit for damages, but not to indictment, fine, or imprisonment. A felonious act is a criminal act of an aggravated kind, which is punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary or by death. A flagitious crime is one that brings public odium. Vicious refers to the indulgence of evil appetites, habits, or passions; vicious acts are not necessarily criminal, or even illegal; we speak of a vicious horse. That which is iniquitous, i. e., contrary to equity, may sometimes be done under the forms of law. Ingratitude is sinful, hypocrisy is wicked, but neither is punishable by human law; hence, neither is criminal or illegal. Compare SIN.

   Antonyms:
   innocent, just, lawful, legal, meritorious, moral, right, virtuous

   Synonyms:
   abominable, culpable, felonious, flagitious, guilty, illegal, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, sinful, unlawful, vicious, vile, wicked, wrong

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. criminal

   Antonyms:
   lawful, virtuous, right, jury innocent, moral, meritorious, creditable, honorable, praiseworthy, laudable

   Synonyms:
   illegal, felonious, vicious, culpable, wrong, iniquitous, sinful, immoral, guilty, nefarious, flagitious

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactoradjective

   someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

   Antonyms:
   guiltless, clean-handed, right, innocent, legal

   Synonyms:
   whitlow, twist, shepherd's crook, malefactor, bend, turn, crook, felon, outlaw

2. condemnable, criminal, deplorable, reprehensible, viciousadjective

   bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure

   "a criminal waste of talent"; "a deplorable act of violence"; "adultery is as reprehensible for a husband as for a wife"

   Antonyms:
   right, guiltless, innocent, clean-handed, legal

   Synonyms:
   felonious, savage, reprehensible, fell, pitiful, venomous, miserable, lamentable, deplorable, roughshod, evil, cruel, barbarous, vicious, poisonous, woeful, condemnable, wretched, distressing, execrable, brutal, sorry, sad

3. criminaladjective

   guilty of crime or serious offense

   "criminal in the sight of God and man"

   Antonyms:
   clean-handed, legal, guiltless, right, innocent

   Synonyms:
   deplorable, felonious, vicious, condemnable, reprehensible

4. criminal, feloniousadjective

   involving or being or having the nature of a crime

   "a criminal offense"; "criminal abuse"; "felonious intent"

   Antonyms:
   innocent, guiltless, right, clean-handed, legal

   Synonyms:
   deplorable, felonious, vicious, condemnable, reprehensible

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. criminaladjective

   Synonyms:
   felonious, flagitious

2. criminalnoun

   Synonyms:
   felon, malefactor, culprit, criminaloid

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:4.0 / 4 votes

1. scapegoat

   a scapegoat is a person who was wrongfully accused for somebody else's wrongdoings, but a criminal is a person who is rightfully accused for their wrongdoings

   the scapegoat was released from jail when the criminal was discovered.

   Submitted by JP03 on October 30, 2014  

How to use criminal in a sentence?

1. Getty Images:

   Senator, I believe that we have criminal laws, criminal laws that are created by policy-making bodies like this one, we have not only criminal laws, but we have a criminal process by which people come before the court to be held accountable if they are charged with a crime.

2. Lindsey Graham:

   This is criminal, this is pure killing of individuals.

3. Tom Robinson:

   At the moment, criminals want to cash out in euros or whatever in order to benefit from their criminal activity.

4. Rafael Lemaitre:

   What happened at Astroworld Festival this weekend was a horrific tragedy, and the families of victims deserve answers. There may well be criminal liability, and Astroworld Festival is why we continue to fully support the Houston Police Department's criminal investigation, at the same time, Harris County continues its process of identifying a separate independent, third party to look into any operational or administrative steps -- beyond anything criminal -- that could have been taken to prevent this from happening.

5. Earl Ofari Hutchinson:

   We're not talking about someone who curses, someone who swears, someone who gets drunk... or someone who masturbates in public or private, we're talking about criminal behavior. In this case, we happen to be talking about sexual abuses -- serious, major crimes. ... There is a duty and obligation to have a standard there -- a standard people can look up to and admire.

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