CRIMINALIZED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

criminalized 1 of 2

adjective

as in prohibited

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criminalized

2 of 2

verb

past tense of criminalize

as in outlawed

to make or declare contrary to the law wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of criminalized

Adjective

But first McCarty needed a sense of how many women were imprisoned at Mabel Bassett for crimes tied to their own abuse — a phenomenon that sentencing-reform advocates call criminalized survivorship. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026 Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat who denounced his own government at the International Criminal Court, described Venezuela as a criminalized state dominated by narcotrafficking networks. — Solly Boussidan , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025

Verb

If protests at the killing of children are criminalized, what is left to protest? — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 Pollari wrote much of the rock song in Polari, which is a historical British cant invented by gay men to speak openly in public while homosexuality was criminalized between the 16th and 19th centuries. — Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 effectively criminalized what until then had been legal cannabis. — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026 Leno said the bill ensures classic car owners aren’t criminalized for driving their vehicles on a limited basis. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Only Scorpio is still open, but both served as important spaces for LGBTQ+ people during a time when homosexuality was criminalized. — Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026 Nicaragua’s last election in 2021 was widely disputed after Ortega detained opponents and business leaders and criminalized dissent. — CNN Money, 21 July 2026 The case drew condemnation from governments and human rights organizations, which argued the charges criminalized artistic expression and political dissent. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026 The code criminalized traditional healers, who could be jailed for offering spiritual guidance. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalized

Adjective

Their alternating stories portray a Europe that exploits gifted children, while rigid class and gender expectations leave both protagonists struggling to pursue forbidden ambitions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
As a forbidden attraction grows between the two men, tragedy unleashes supernatural forces upon their deeply religious community.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of forbidden

Verb

Using the history of gay male desire in different time periods — dangerous, clandestine, outlawed and at long last fitfully accepted — the film examines legacy and what gets handed down across time.

— Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
None of the other states that have passed constitutional amendments protecting the ability to hunt and fish have had specific hunting methods outlawed by the voters, as Colorado has.

— Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of outlawed

Adjective

Officers searched the restroom and found a package of contraband drugs, including K2, high-potency THC wax and suboxone strips.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
His current release date is scheduled for March 2028, a recent change after he was reportedly caught using a contraband cell phone to scroll on Instagram.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of contraband

Adjective

The owls also face pressure from the barred owl, a more territorial competitor that vies for the same food and habitat and usually wins.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
The roommate, Maria Ortiz, 60, was struggling against a barred window, screaming for help, when firefighters in a tower ladder truck cut the bars and pulled her out.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026

Definition of barred

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“Criminalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalized. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of criminalized

adjective

verb

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