criminalize

IPA/ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/
KK[krˈɪmənəlˌaɪz]IPA/ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/

criminalize — 動詞

  • criminalizepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • criminalizeshe / she / it
  • criminalizedpast simple
  • criminalizing-ing form

1. to make a particular activity or thing illegal by creating a new law that bans i

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

入罪

透過立法將某行為定為違法

to make a particular activity or thing illegal by creating a new law that bans it and sets a punishment for doing it.

例句

The Thai government voted to criminalize the use of plastic bags in all shops.

泰國政府投票通過將所有商店使用塑膠袋的行為入罪。

criminalize + noun phrase (the use of something)

Several European countries have criminalized texting while driving on highways.

好幾個歐洲國家已將在高速公路上開車傳簡訊的行為入罪。

criminalize + V-ing (gerund phrase)

常見搭配
  • criminalize + activity (drug use, gambling, dumping)
  • criminalize the use/possession/sale of [something]
  • criminalize + V-ing (texting while driving, smoking in public)
同義詞
  • outlaw

    very similar, but often used for older or more traditional prohibitions (e.g. outlawing slavery)

  • ban

    broader and more general; can refer to any kind of rule, not only criminal law

  • prohibit

    formal, but covers rules from any authority, not just criminal statutes

反義詞
  • decriminalize

    to remove criminal penalties for an act without necessarily making it fully legal

  • legalize

    to make something permitted by law

文法句型

criminalize + noun phrase (activity / behavior)

be criminalized (passive)

用法筆記

Commonly used in passive constructions (e.g. 'was criminalized in 2020'). The subject is typically a government, legislature, or country.

常見錯誤

The school criminalized students from using phones.
The school banned students from using phones.
Only a law-making body can criminalize something; schools and companies set rules, not criminal law.
The new law criminalizes people who steal.
The new law criminalizes theft.
Criminalize an act (theft), not a person, when using the legislative sense.

2. to treat a particular group of people unfairly as if they are criminals, often b

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

視為罪犯

不公平地將某人當作犯罪者

to treat a particular group of people unfairly as if they are criminals, often by making their normal activities or circumstances illegal.

例句

New housing policies in Seoul criminalize large families sharing a small apartment.

首爾的新住房政策將同住小公寓的大家庭視為罪犯。

criminalize + group (families sharing a space)

The school's dress code criminalizes students for wearing traditional African hairstyles.

該校的服儀規範將留傳統非洲髮型的學生視為罪犯。

criminalize + group for + behavior

常見搭配
  • criminalize + person/group (homeless people, immigrants, students, teenagers)
  • criminalize + group for + behavior (wearing certain clothes, sleeping in public)
  • passive: be criminalized
同義詞
  • stigmatize

    focuses on social shame rather than legal consequences

  • marginalize

    broader — pushing a group to the edges of society, not specifically as criminals

反義詞
  • protect

    to keep a group safe from unfair treatment

文法句型

criminalize + noun phrase (person / group)

criminalize + group for + behavior

用法筆記

This sense carries a critical tone — it suggests the treatment is unfair, disproportionate, or harmful. Common in sociological and political discussion about marginalized groups.

常見錯誤

The police criminalized the robber.
The police arrested the robber.
Sense 2 describes unfair treatment, not legitimate law enforcement against actual criminals.
The law criminalizes being homeless.
The law criminalizes homeless people for sleeping in public.
Sense 2 targets people, not abstract states.

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

副詞搭配

常用片語

  • make an act a crime
  • treat a group as criminals

介系詞搭配

  • as (be criminalized as something)