# criminal

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/ · frequency rank #1,818

## Definitions
1. Against the law; forbidden by law.
2. Guilty of breaking the law.
3. Of or relating to crime or penal law.
4. Abhorrent or very undesirable.

## Etymology
From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”).

## Easily confused with
- **critical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/criminal-vs-critical)
- **criminals** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/criminal-vs-criminals)
- **criminally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/criminal-vs-criminally)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ccriminal`, `cirminal`, `criimnal`, `crimianl`, `criminall`, `criminla`, `criminnal`, `crimminal`, `crimnial`, `crmiinal`, `crriminal`, `rciminal`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/criminal