Spanish Conversation · Level 4
87 words
Spanish word
criminal
Pronunciation
IPA/kɾimiˈnal/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)criminal
Example
Encontraron al criminal cerca de la escena.
They found the criminal near the scene.
More examples
La policía logró detener al criminal anoche.
The police managed to arrest the criminal last night.
Core concept
Person in handcuffs.
Common phrases
detener al criminal
arrest the criminal
capturar al criminal
capture the criminal
antecedentes del criminal
criminal's record
Similar words
delincuente: Person who carries out illegal acts, often as a pattern.
sospechoso: Person others suspect of involvement in a crime.
ladrón: Person who steals another person's goods.
asesino: Person who murders another person.
Definition in Spanish
Designa a la persona responsable de un delito, es decir, quien ha llevado a cabo una acción prohibida por la ley.
Word origin
From Latin crimen 'crime' via medieval Latin criminalis 'relating to crime', Spanish criminal denotes a person who has committed a prohibited act.
Usage tips
- Used mainly in legal or news contexts to label someone who committed a crime, so for a suspect Spanish speakers usually use acusado or sospechoso.
Other meanings
- perpetratornoun
Opposites
- inocenteinnocentnoun
Related words
- criminalidadcriminalitynoun
- criminalizarcriminalizeverb
- criminalmentecriminallyadverb