adj/n · neutral
criminal
/ˈkrɪmɪnəl/CRIM·i·nal
Band 6-7task2speaking
relating to crime; a person who commits a crime
Examples
“Criminal activity has declined in the city centre this year.”
“He was found guilty of criminal behaviour.”
“The documentary interviewed several ex-criminals about rehabilitation.”
Band 8 sentence
“In my opinion, strengthening criminal justice systems is crucial to reduce repeat offending.”
Collocations
- criminal offence
- criminal justice
- criminal record
Word family
criminal adj/ncriminally advcriminality n
Common mistakes
crime vs criminal confusion: 'He committed a criminal'→He committed a crime / He is a criminal
criminal mind / crime mind used interchangeably→criminal mind
Say it for a higher band
5illegal→6offensive→7+criminal
Synonyms
illegal
Easily confused
illegal
“Driving without a licence is illegal and can lead to fines.”
Related words
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In -al
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