CRIMINAL, adjective 1. Guilty of a crime; applied to persons. 2. Partaking of a crime; involving a crime; that violates public law, divine or human; as, theft is a criminal act. 3. That violates moral obligation; wicked. 4. Relating to crimes; opposed to civil; as a criminal code; criminal law. CRIMINAL, noun A person who has committed an offense against public law; a violator of law, divine or human. More particularly, a person indicted or charged with a public offense, and one who is found guilty, by verdict, confession or proof. CRIMINAL conversation, the illegal commerce of the sexes; adultery.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI