Synonyms of crime

crime

noun

ˈkrīm 

1

as in criminality

activities that are in violation of the laws of the state

a promise by the president to step up the war against crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• criminality
• corruption
• lawlessness
• lawbreaking
• misconduct
• racketeering
• offence
• evil
• malfeasance
• outlawry
• wrongdoing
• sin
• gangsterism
• immorality
• hooliganism
• wickedness
• misdeed
• trespass
• transgression
• offense
• depravity
• malefaction
• misdoing

2

as in shame

a regrettable or blameworthy act

it's a crime to waste food, so give the rest of the pizza to me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shame
• pity
• sin
• disgrace
• scandal
• outrage

3

as in offence

a breaking of a moral or legal code

anyone who commits a crime should expect to be punished for it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• offence
• violation
• sin
• felony
• wrongdoing
• trespass
• debt
• misdeed
• offense
• error
• transgression
• sinfulness
• lawbreaking
• breach
• malefaction
• misdoing
• misconduct
• misdemeanor
• infringement
• criminality
• corruption
• hate crime
• abuse
• misfeasance
• immorality
• bias crime
• wickedness
• illegality
• foible
• fault
• vice
• unlawfulness
• lawlessness
• depravity
• iniquity
• debauchery
• peccadillo
• licentiousness
• break
• downfall
• iniquitousness
• fall
• descent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• innocence
• morality
• noncrime
• blamelessness
• virtue
• righteousness
• goodness
• impeccability
• guiltlessness
• faultlessness
• irreproachability
• virtuousness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crime contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of crime are offense, scandal, sin, and vice. While all these words mean "a transgression of law," crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

When would offense be a good substitute for crime?

The words offense and crime are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

When can scandal be used instead of crime?

The meanings of scandal and crime largely overlap; however, scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

When is sin a more appropriate choice than crime?

The synonyms sin and crime are sometimes interchangeable, but sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

When could vice be used to replace crime?

In some situations, the words vice and crime are roughly equivalent. However, vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crime

In 2022, Colbert was twice arrested in Las Vegas on felony charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime, court records show. —Taylor Galgano, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025

Gus Van Sant’s upcoming crime feature Dead Man’s Wire and Dustin Hoffman drama The Revisionist nabbed incentives to shoot in the locale. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025

Ahead of the documentary's Netflix premiere on March 7, here's what happened to the Manson Family in the decades since their crimes. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025

His clemency toward those convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection – including seditious conspiracy and assaults on police officers – was different in key ways from the two previous efforts, by Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Ulysses S. Grant in 1873. —David Cason, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025