1. a person who has committed a crime
犯下罪行的人；罪犯
The police are searching for the criminal who robbed the bank.
警方正在搜尋搶劫銀行的罪犯。
He was convicted as a dangerous criminal.
他被定罪為一名危險的罪犯。
Criminal Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
criminal
noun
快速理解
What does "Criminal" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Criminal"?
指違反法律的人，也可形容與犯罪相關的事物。
- 1
罪犯
EN: a person who has committed a crime
翻譯: 觸犯法律、被定罪的人。
- 2
犯法者
EN: someone involved in illegal activities
翻譯: 從事非法活動的人，可能未被正式定罪。
- 3
刑事的
EN: relating to crime or its punishment
翻譯: 與犯罪或刑罰相關的，常用於法律術語中。
- 4
應受譴責的
EN: morally wrong and deserving strong criticism
翻譯: 用於形容極度錯誤、不道德的行為，不一定是法律上的犯罪。
小提醒：注意 'criminal' 作形容詞時，常用於修飾法律相關名詞，如 'criminal law'（刑法）、'criminal record'（犯罪紀錄）。
發音（How to Pronounce "Criminal" in English）
How to pronounce "Criminal" in English?"Criminal" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Criminal" from YouTube Videos
Georgette Mulheir: The tragedy of orphanages
TED
“In Moldova, young women raised in institutions are 10 times more likely to be trafficked than their peers, and a Russian study found that two years after leaving institutions young adults, 20 percent of them had a criminal record, 14 percent were involved in prostitution and 10 percent had taken their own lives.”
(1 out of 13)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Criminal"?How does "Criminal" change by context?
2. a person who is involved in illegal activities as a habit or profession
以犯罪為習慣或職業的人；犯罪分子
He grew up in a neighborhood full of criminals and gangsters.
他在一個充滿犯罪分子和幫派分子的社區長大。
The organization was run by a notorious career criminal.
該組織由一名惡名昭彰的職業罪犯經營。
3. relating to crime or its punishment
與犯罪或其懲罰有關的；刑事的
She decided to study criminal law at university.
她決定在大學攻讀刑法。
The suspect was brought before the criminal court.
嫌疑犯被帶到刑事法庭。
4. involving or being a crime
涉及犯罪的；犯法的
Theft is a criminal act.
盜竊是犯罪行為。
He was accused of criminal negligence.
他被指控犯有刑事過失罪。
5. morally wrong and deserving strong condemnation
道德上錯誤且應受強烈譴責的；可恥的
It's criminal to waste so much food when people are starving.
在有人挨餓時浪費這麼多食物是可恥的。
The company's neglect of safety regulations was nothing short of criminal.
該公司忽視安全規章簡直是可恥的。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Criminal"?How to make natural sentences with "Criminal"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| criminal + noun | 罪犯的…；刑事的… | The police are gathering criminal evidence. (警方正在收集犯罪證據。) |
| a + adjective + criminal | 一個…的罪犯 | He was described as a violent criminal. (他被描述為一名暴力罪犯。) |
| the criminal + relative clause | …的罪犯 | The criminal who committed the robbery was arrested. (犯下搶劫案的罪犯已被逮捕。) |
| become/turn criminal | 淪為罪犯 | After losing his job, he turned criminal. (失業後，他淪為了罪犯。) |
| prosecute/bring a criminal to justice | 起訴/將罪犯繩之以法 | The authorities vowed to bring the criminal to justice. (當局誓言要將罪犯繩之以法。) |
用法說明
How is "Criminal" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Criminal"?
criminal (名詞) vs. criminal (形容詞)
- criminal 作為名詞時，指的是「犯罪者」或「罪犯」，指涉的是人。
- criminal 作為形容詞時，意思是「犯罪的；刑事的；罪惡的」，用來描述行為、活動或法律性質。
- 在句子中，名詞通常作為主詞或受詞，而形容詞則用來修飾名詞（如 criminal act, criminal law）。
- 注意搭配：形容詞 criminal 常與 negligence（過失）、record（紀錄）、investigation（調查）等名詞連用。
對比例句： EN: The police arrested the criminal. 翻譯: 警方逮捕了那名罪犯。
EN:He was charged with criminal negligence.
翻譯:他被控犯有刑事過失罪。
總結建議
區分詞性時，請注意 criminal 在句中是描述「人」還是「事物/行為」的性質。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Criminal" and similar words?How to choose "Criminal" vs alternatives?
criminal vs offender
「criminal」通常指違反刑法、被定罪的罪犯，強調其犯罪者身份。而「offender」範圍更廣，可指違反任何法律或規則的人，不一定涉及嚴重罪行，語氣有時較中性。
criminal vs suspect
「criminal」是已被定罪確認的罪犯。而「suspect」僅指涉嫌犯罪、被懷疑的對象，在法庭定罪前應視為無罪。
criminal vs convict
「criminal」是泛指罪犯的通稱。而「convict」特指已被法庭定罪（尤指重罪）且通常正在服刑的囚犯。
口語用法
How is "Criminal" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Criminal"?
引述
在對話中，當引述他人對某人的指控或描述時，常會用「criminal」這個字，語氣上可能帶有轉述或質疑的意味。 EN: He called the guy a criminal, but I'm not so sure. 翻譯: 他稱那個人是罪犯，但我不太確定。
EN:She said the whole operation was run by a criminal mastermind.
翻譯:她說整個行動是由一個犯罪首腦策劃的。
語氣強調
在口語中，有時會用「criminal」來誇張地形容某種極度浪費、不公或愚蠢的行為，並非指實際的犯罪行為，而是為了加強語氣。 EN: It's criminal to charge that much for a cup of coffee. 翻譯: 一杯咖啡收那麼多錢，簡直是犯罪。
EN:What a criminal waste of talent!
翻譯:這真是對天分的極大浪費！
停頓填充
在組織思緒或尋找合適詞語時，說話者可能會用「criminal」作為一個暫時的填充詞，尤其是在討論法律、道德或嚴重過失的話題中。 EN: The whole situation was just... criminal, you know? 翻譯: 整個情況就是... 很惡劣，你懂吧？
EN:He acted in a way that was, for lack of a better word, criminal.
翻譯:他的行為，說得難聽一點，就是犯罪。
正式寫作注意：在正式或學術寫作中，應避免將「criminal」用於上述口語中的誇張或填充用法。應精確使用其法律定義（觸犯刑法者），或使用更正式、具體的詞彙來描述不道德或浪費的行為，例如「unconscionable」、「egregious」、「profligate」。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Criminal"?What fixed phrases with "Criminal" should I remember?
criminal activity
adjective + noun
犯罪活動
criminal record
noun + of + noun
犯罪紀錄
criminal law
noun + noun
刑法
criminal justice system
adjective + noun + noun
刑事司法體系
criminal mind
adjective + noun
犯罪心理
criminal element
adjective + noun
犯罪份子；犯罪元素
criminal case
adjective + noun
刑事案件
criminal intent
adjective + noun
犯罪意圖
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Criminal"?Which "Criminal" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×He is a criminal person.
✓He is a criminal.
當 'criminal' 作為名詞時，本身已指「罪犯」，不需要再加 'person'。'Criminal person' 是冗餘且不自然的說法。
×He was treated like criminal.
✓He was treated like a criminal.
當指一個不特定的罪犯時，名詞 'criminal' 是可數的，通常需要不定冠詞 'a'。
×The criminal were sentenced to prison.
✓The criminals were sentenced to prison.
當主語是多個罪犯時，名詞必須使用複數形式 'criminals'，動詞也需配合使用複數形式 'were'。
×He committed a serious criminal.
✓He committed a serious crime.
'Criminal' 是「犯罪者」，指人。'Crime' 才是「犯罪行為」。這裡混淆了行為的執行者與行為本身。
×This is the criminal's car.
✓This is the criminal's car. (但需注意語意)
所有格 'criminal's' 在文法上是正確的，但學習者常在不適當的語境中使用。此句語意為「這是那名罪犯的車」，暗示我們知道特定的某個罪犯。若想表達「這是一輛用於犯罪的車」，更自然的說法是 'This car was used in a crime' 或 'This is a getaway car'。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Criminal"?What are tense/participle forms of "Criminal"?