criminal
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criminal
Relating to a criminal offense or itself constituting a criminal offense; criminal or illegal.
Der Diebstahl von Firmeneigentum ist eine kriminelle Handlung und wird bestraft.
The theft of company property is a criminal act and will be punished.
outrageous
Colloquially and exaggeratingly used for something that is perceived as extremely bad, shameless, or terrible.
Für so eine kleine Wohnung 2000 Euro Miete zu verlangen, ist ja kriminell!
Charging 2,000 euros in rent for such a small apartment is outrageous!
'Kriminell' (criminal) is part of a word family around the topic of crime. This includes 'die Kriminalität' (crime/criminality), 'die Kriminalpolizei' (criminal police, short: Kripo), and 'der Krimi' (crime film or crime novel).
Die Kriminalität in der Stadt ist im letzten Jahr gesunken.
Crime in the city fell last year.
In its literal meaning, the adjective is often combined with nouns such as 'Handlung' (act), 'Tat' (offense), 'Energie' (energy), or 'Vereinigung' (organization/association). The phrase 'kriminell werden' means to become a criminal.
Er wurde wegen Mitgliedschaft in einer kriminellen Vereinigung verurteilt.
He was convicted of membership in a criminal organization.
In everyday language, 'kriminell' is often used as a strong exaggeration for something that one finds shameless or extremely bad, even if it is not illegal. It expresses strong outrage.
Die Preise für Getränke in diesem Club sind ja absolut kriminell!
The prices for drinks in this club are absolutely outrageous!
illegal
Illegal and kriminell can both describe an action that violates the law. Illegal generally states that a law has been broken; kriminell emphasizes the connection with a criminal offense and is therefore more strongly judgmental. For this reason, not everything illegal is normally described as kriminell.
Der geplante Betrug ist eine Straftat und deshalb kriminell.
The planned fraud is a criminal offense and is therefore criminal.
Der geplante Betrug ist illegal, weil er gegen das Gesetz verstößt.
The planned fraud is illegal because it violates the law.
