criminal
Translation
criminal, offender
Examples
The police arrested the criminal.
The police arrested the criminal.
He is a dangerous criminal.
He is a dangerous criminal.
Grammar Patterns
((a/the/adjective)) criminal (countable noun) a person who commits a crime The police arrested the criminal.
Similar Words
Synonyms: offender, culprit, felon; Antonyms: victim, law-abiding citizen
Etymology
From Latin 'criminalis', from 'crimen' meaning 'accusation, crime'.
Memory Tips
Think of a person who commits a 'crime'. The word can also be an adjective, as in 'a criminal act'.