kriminális

Kriminális is a Hungarian adjective used to describe things related to crime or criminals. The term is borrowed from Latin criminalis, and its form is similar to cognates found in other European languages, reflecting a common Latin root for crime (crimen) and criminality. In Hungarian, the word appears in various contexts to indicate the criminal nature of acts, objects, or processes.

In usage, kriminális is more common in criminology, journalism, popular discourse, or everyday speech than in formal legal drafting. In official contexts, Hungarian typically uses terms such as büntetőjog (criminal law), büntetőeljárás (criminal procedure), or cselekmény (act/phenomenon) rather than kriminális, which carries a somewhat stylistic or emphatic connotation. Examples include phrases like kriminális tevékenység (criminal activity), kriminális esemény (criminal event), or kriminális vonások (criminal characteristics).

As a noun, kriminális can appear in colloquial speech to refer to a person who has committed crimes, though this usage is informal and not common in formal writing. In media headlines or tabloids, you may encounter kriminális as a shorthand reference to criminals or criminal cases.

Cross-linguistically, the root appears in many European languages with similar forms, such as kriminální (Czech), criminel (French), or kriminal (Germanic variants), all tracing back to Latin criminalis.

See also: crime, criminal law, criminology, criminal justice.