CRIMINALIZE Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

criminalize

verb

ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz

as in to outlaw

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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of criminalize Other initiatives have become a flashpoint in an ongoing battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which is ICE’s parent agency, including allowing officers to wear masks while in public and trying to criminalize the recording and publishing of video of their operations. —

Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 May 2026 Critics worry that the buffer zones could be used to quell nonviolent demonstrations or criminalize free speech. —

CBS News, 28 May 2026 The bill also criminalizes interior design. —

Doug McCauley, Oc Register, 27 May 2026 The bill criminalized seditious libel. —

Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for criminalize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize

Verb

There’s currently no federal law prohibiting speculative ticketing, though some states such as Maryland and Oregon have outlawed the practice.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
The government outlawed the group after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June 2025 to protest British military support for Israel’s military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 June 2026