decriminalise

decriminalise — 動詞

1. to change the law so that doing or having a particular thing — usually a minor d

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

除罪化

修改法律，使某行為不再構成犯罪

to change the law so that doing or having a particular thing — usually a minor drug, a sexual practice, or a public-order act — is no longer treated as a crime that can be punished.

例句

Portugal decided to decriminalise the personal use of small amounts of drugs back in 2001.

葡萄牙早在2001年就決定將少量毒品的個人使用除罪化。

decriminalise + abstract noun phrase ('the personal use of...')

Many doctors have urged the government to decriminalise cannabis for patients with chronic pain.

許多醫生敦促政府將大麻除罪化，以幫助慢性疼痛的患者。

passive-to-infinitive: urge X to decriminalise Y

同義詞
  • legalise

    stronger — makes the act fully legal and usually regulated, not just unpunished

  • depenalise

    technical legal term; removes the penalty while keeping the act itself illegal on paper

  • deregulate

    broader business sense — removes rules generally, not specifically criminal status

反義詞
  • criminalise

    direct opposite — make an act punishable as a crime

  • outlaw

    forbid by law; stronger and more absolute than criminalise

文法句型

decriminalise + noun (an act / a substance)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a government, parliament, court, or country; object is usually an act (drug use, abortion, prostitution) or a substance (cannabis, marijuana). Frequently passive ('X was decriminalised in 2018'). Distinguish from 'legalise': decriminalising removes criminal punishment but keeps the act regulated or socially disapproved, while legalising fully permits it.

常見錯誤

❌The court decriminalised the thief last year.
✅The court acquitted the thief last year.
💡you decriminalise an act or substance, not a person who broke a law.
❌Selling marijuana is now decriminalised, so anyone can open a shop.
✅Selling marijuana is now legalised, so anyone can open a shop.
💡decriminalisation only removes the criminal penalty; running a business usually still needs legalisation and a licence.