Rikollinen

Rikollinen is a Finnish term used as both an adjective and a noun to refer to things or people related to crime. As an adjective, rikollinen describes activity or behavior that is illegal or criminal in nature, as in ripe example phrases like rikollinen teko or rikollinen toiminta. As a noun, rikollinen denotes a person who commits a crime, i.e., a criminal; the plural form is rikolliset.

Etymology and formation: the word is formed from the noun rikos, meaning crime, with the common Finnish suffix -llinen that indicates characteristic or belonging to. This productive derivation yields both the adjective and the noun forms found in contemporary use.

Usage and nuance: rikollinen carries a negative, stigmatizing connotation when referring to a person. In formal legal contexts, more precise terms are often used, such as henkilön tuomitsema rikollinen teko or epäilty rikoksesta (suspect of a crime). In media and everyday language, rikollinen is common but can be perceived as pejorative depending on tone and context. It is distinct from syyllinen (guilty) and rikos (crime) in its focus on the person or act as criminal in nature, rather than establishing legal guilt.

Related terms: rikollisuus (criminality), rikos (crime), rangaistus (punishment). See also shorthand references to criminal behavior and the social perception of crime in Finnish discourse.

Rikollinen is a basic, widely understood term in Finnish, used across legal, media, and everyday language to categorize crime-related phenomena or individuals.