Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - criminal

~1 adj 1 related to or connected with crime  (criminal behaviour | The boy had shown criminal tendencies since early adolescence. | a criminal offence (=a crime that can be punished by law) | criminal element (=people within a particular group who are known to be involved in crime))  (Ray got mixed up with the local criminal element. | criminal negligence (=the illegal act of not doing something you should do, with the result that someone is hurt) | criminal damage (=the illegal act of damaging someone else's property)) 2 no comparative related to the part of the legal system that is concerned with crime  (criminal court | criminal case | criminal attorney | criminal charges (=official statements saying that someone has done something illegal))  (Wharton faces criminal charges and will be tried in May.)  (- compare civil (3)) 3 wrong, dishonest, and unacceptable  (There was a criminal lack of foresight in the planning of this venture.) - criminally adv ~2 n someone who is involved in illegal activities or has been proved guilty of a crime  (The man is a criminal. How could the people elect him to office? | hardened criminal (=someone who has been involved in crime for a long time))  (Teenagers should not be sent to prison with hardened criminals.)