criminality
/ˌkrɪmɪˈnæləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkrɪmɪˈnæləti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkri-mə-ˈna-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)
criminality — noun
1. crime or lawbreaking seen as a general pattern in a place, group, or period
crime or lawbreaking seen as a general pattern in a place, group, or period
Police reports showed rising criminality around the bus station after dark.
rise in criminality in a place
Arjun said the new camera system cut criminality in his apartment block.
criminality in + place
Shop owners blamed late-night drinking for the criminality in the old market.
After the factory closed, the town saw more criminality among bored teenagers.
- crime
the broad everyday word; criminality sounds more formal and often refers to an overall pattern
- lawbreaking
focuses on breaking rules or laws, often in a more direct and less statistical way
- offending
used especially in social research and criminal justice writing about repeated criminal acts
- lawfulness
emphasizes obeying the law rather than patterns of crime
文法句型
criminality in + place
criminality among + group
rise in criminality
用法筆記
Usually refers to crime as a wider social problem, not to one single act. It often appears in reports about a district, time period, or group.
2. the quality of breaking the law, used when judging whether an act, order, or sys
the quality of breaking the law, used when judging whether an act, order, or system should be treated as criminal
The judge questioned the criminality of the search because officers had no warrant.
criminality of + noun in legal judgment
Ada asked about the criminality of copying the exam answers and selling them online.
criminality of + -ing form
Historians still argue about the criminality of the orders given that night.
The report examined the criminality of the landlord's threats to the family.
- illegality
the closest legal term; more direct and more common in legal writing
- unlawfulness
formal and slightly broader, often used for acts, decisions, or procedures
- criminal character
highlights that the act should be treated as criminal, not merely improper
- legality
focuses on whether something is allowed by law
文法句型
criminality of + noun
question the criminality of + action
用法筆記
Often followed by of + noun or an -ing form when judging whether something is legally wrong. Distinguish from sense 1, which focuses on the amount or spread of crime in society.