Meanings
nouncriminalization (countable and uncountable, plural criminalizations)
plural criminalizations · alternative UK criminalisation
- countableuncountableThe act of making a previously legal activity illegal, the act of making something a criminal offence.
And of course, s/m players who participate in breath play will also be more vulnerable to criminalization under such a new law.
2014, Ummni Khan, Vicarious Kinks: S/M in the Socio-Legal Imaginary, University of Toronto Press, →ISBN - countableuncountableThe act of turning someone into a criminal by making their activities illegal.
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Broader
legal reclassification
Narrower
nounlegislation that makes something illegal
Similar
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Catalan criminalització
- criminalitzaciómaking a previously legal activity illegal
Chinese Mandarin 非法化, 罪犯化
- 非法化 (fēifǎhuà)making a previously legal activity illegal
- 罪犯化 (zuìfànhuà)turning someone into a criminal
Dutch criminalisering, criminalisering
- criminaliseringmaking a previously legal activity illegal
- criminaliseringturning someone into a criminal
Finnish kriminalisointi, rikollistaminen
- kriminalisointimaking a previously legal activity illegal
- rikollistaminenmaking a previously legal activity illegal
- kriminalisointiturning someone into a criminal
French criminalisation, pénalisation
- criminalisationmaking a previously legal activity illegal
- pénalisationmaking a previously legal activity illegal
German Kriminalisierung
- Kriminalisierungmaking a previously legal activity illegal
Japanese 犯罪視
- 犯罪視 (hanzaishi)making a previously legal activity illegal
Portuguese criminalização
- criminalizaçãomaking a previously legal activity illegal
Russian криминализа́ция
- криминализа́ция (kriminalizácija)making a previously legal activity illegal
Spanish criminalización
- criminalizaciónmaking a previously legal activity illegal
Swedish kriminalisering
- kriminaliseringmaking a previously legal activity illegal
Cite this entry
APA
criminalization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalization
MLA
“criminalization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalization. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “criminalization,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalization.
Source: criminalization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.