Criminally
ˈkrɪmɪnəli
Definitions
2 meaningsIn a way that involves or constitutes a crime; in a way that is wrong and illegal.
ˈkrɪmɪnəli
In a way that relates to crime or criminals.
The company was charged criminally for the pollution it caused.
💡 Simply: Imagine someone breaks a rule and gets in trouble with the law. That person did something *criminally*, meaning they did something illegal or very bad.
👶 For kids: When you do something that breaks the law, you're acting criminally.
More Examples
The judge ruled that the defendant acted criminally in the case.
The officer knew the suspect was criminally involved.
How It's Used
"The company was found to have acted criminally in its disregard for environmental regulations."
"He was criminally negligent in his duties, leading to the accident."
To an excessive or unacceptable degree; extremely.
ˈkrɪmɪnəli
To a very high degree or extent; severely.
The lack of funding for the arts is criminally negligent.
💡 Simply: When something's really, really bad, or wrong in a big way, you can say it's *criminally* something. For example, it's *criminally* hot outside. It's like it should be illegal!
👶 For kids: It means something is super, super bad or wrong.
More Examples
It's criminally unfair that he was fired.
The delay in the project was criminally slow
How It's Used
"It's criminally expensive to live in this city!"
"He was criminally wrong to ignore the evidence."
Idioms & expressions
criminally insane
A legal term used to describe a person who is not responsible for their actions due to a mental illness or defect at the time of the crime.
"The defense argued that the defendant was criminally insane and therefore not responsible for the murder."
criminally understaffed
Extremely understaffed, to an extent that it negatively impacts operations or safety.
"The hospital's emergency room was criminally understaffed, leading to long wait times."
From "criminal" + "-ly". "Criminal" comes from the Latin "crimen", meaning "crime" or "accusation". The suffix "-ly" forms an adverb.
The word "criminally" has been used since the 17th century, evolving from its legal sense to also convey extreme or unacceptable degree.
Memory tip
Imagine a criminal acting in a certain way: that's how you would describe it using criminally.