criminal

adjective kree-mee-NAHL Less Common

Usage Note

Criminal functions as both adjective (acto criminal, 'criminal act') and noun (un criminal, 'a criminal'). It is invariable for gender, changing only for number: criminales. In informal speech it can mean 'outrageous': es criminal ese precio ('that price is criminal'). In formal legal Spanish, delincuente is the more neutral term for 'offender'.

Examples

"La policía detuvo a un criminal peligroso."

Natural Translation

The police arrested a dangerous criminal.

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