der Kriminelle
criminal
A person who has committed a crime or regularly commits crimes.
EXAMPLE
Der Kriminelle wurde nach dem Überfall von der Polizei festgenommen.
The criminal was arrested by the police after the robbery.
der Kriminelle
criminal
die Kriminelle, die Kriminellen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Kriminelle, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Kriminellen |
| genitive | der Kriminellen |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Kriminelle | die Kriminellen |
| accusative | die Kriminelle | die Kriminellen |
| dative | der Kriminellen | den Kriminellen |
| genitive | der Kriminellen | der Kriminellen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Nominalized adjective
'Der Kriminelle' (the criminal) is a nominalized adjective: the word 'kriminell' (criminal) is used to refer to a person and is therefore capitalized. The article and ending indicate its grammatical case in the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Die Staatsanwaltschaft befragte den Kriminellen zu dem Vorfall.
The public prosecutor's office questioned the criminal about the incident.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'einen Kriminellen festnehmen' (to arrest a criminal), 'einen Kriminellen verfolgen' (to pursue a criminal), and 'einen Kriminellen verurteilen' (to convict a criminal). The word often appears as the object of verbs related to policing and the justice system.
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei verfolgte den Kriminellen bis zur Grenze.
The police pursued the criminal all the way to the border.
Judgmental expression
'Krimineller' (criminal) is a strongly judgmental term often used in news reports about crime or in everyday speech. It labels a person directly through their connection to criminal offenses and can therefore sound harsh or derogatory.
EXAMPLE
In dem Zeitungsartikel wurde der Kriminelle als besonders gefährlich beschrieben.
In the newspaper article, the criminal was described as particularly dangerous.
In real life
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