French word

criminel

Pronunciation

IPA/kʁiminɛl/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncriminal

Example

La police a arrêté le criminel hier.

The police arrested the criminal yesterday.

Illustration for criminel (criminal)

More examples

La justice a mis le criminel en prison.

The justice system has put the criminal in prison.

Core concept

A person identified as having committed a serious crime, viewed as the subject of a police case.

Common phrases

  • mettre le criminel en prison

    put the criminal in prison

  • le criminel en fuite

    the criminal on the run

Similar words

délinquant: A person who has violated a law or rule.
escroc: A person who deceives others to obtain money or goods.
cambrioleur: A person who breaks into buildings to steal.
assassin: A person who has killed someone.

Definition in French

Personne qui a commis un crime, souvent employé pour des faits graves.

Word origin

French criminel comes from Latin criminalis, from crimen meaning a crime, and became a noun for a person who commits one.

Usage tips

  • As a noun, criminel is masculine, with criminelle as the feminine form, and it commonly appears as le criminel in police reporting.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word