criminalise
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To make an activity or behavior illegal by law; to declare something a criminal offense and subject to legal penalties.
Usage
- The verb criminalise is used to describe the legislative or judicial act of turning a previously legal or unregulated action into a crime.
- It is typically used in formal, legal, and political contexts.
- The direct object of the verb is the activity or behavior being outlawed.
Examples
- The new government moved to criminalise hate speech.
- Many countries have criminalised the dumping of toxic waste.
- The proposed bill seeks to criminalise the use of certain performance-enhancing drugs.
Advanced Usage
- "to criminalise an entire population/group": This phrase is used in sociological or political discourse to describe laws or policies that effectively make the everyday actions of a specific group illegal, often leading to disproportionate prosecution.
- Critics argue that the vagrancy laws were used to criminalise the homeless.
Variants and Related Words
- Criminalisation (noun): The process or result of making something illegal.
- The criminalisation of drug use is a topic of intense debate.
- Decriminalise (verb): The opposite action; to remove criminal penalties for an activity, often treating it as a civil infraction instead.
- Some regions have chosen to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
Synonyms
- Outlaw: To make illegal.
- Prohibit: To formally forbid by law, rule, or other authority.
- Ban: To officially or legally prohibit.
Antonyms
- Legalise: To make something legal.
- Decriminalise: To remove criminal sanctions from.
- Permit: To allow or authorize.
Related Phrases
- "to criminalise conduct/behavior": A standard legal phrasing.
- The statute was enacted to criminalise fraudulent financial conduct.
Verb
-
declare illegal; outlaw
-
Marijuana is criminalized in the U.S.
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