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Glite Dictionary
incriminating

incriminating

41 7.2
Showing that someone may be guilty of a crime
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈkrɪməˌneɪtɪŋ/
translation icon : incriminatorio
  • The detective found incriminating evidence that linked the suspect to the crime scene.
  • incriminating evidence
  • an incriminating statement

So that's kind of incriminating in and of itself.

Examples

  • What is your usual charge for the return of incriminating letters?

    The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)

  • The next object is much more incriminating.

    Sleuth (1972)

  • But also in our research, we found some more incriminating images in this.

  • And now we are getting to the really incriminating part of this entire video, which is Target.

  • Last fall, she had believed any incriminating papers would be in the Guidance Office.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • What if they were still at large, knowing that their victim had managed to retain some incriminating evidence?

    Fiction book (1996)

  • You should be careful when discarding incriminating evidence.

    Mystery Men (1999)

  • Max sits here, chastened, thoughtful, considering all the incriminating evidence before him.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "There was probably more incriminating evidence about his friends on those disks than about his enemies," Arkady said.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Matteo's pre-indictment, pre-arraignment telephone conversations with a friend were recorded, and he made incriminating statements used against him at trial.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

inculpatory
vsincriminating
  • Formal
1 9.9

Showing that someone may be guilty of a crime

suggests guilt more mildly without offering clear proof
incriminatory
vsincriminating
1 8.6

Making someone look guilty of a crime

suggests guilt without stating it as a fact or proof
inculpative
vsincriminating
  • Formal
9.9

Likely to show someone is guilty

focuses on indicating criminal guilt rather than general blame
criminatory
vsincriminating
  • Formal
9.6

Suggesting that someone is guilty or to blame, especially in a legal case

applies specifically to criminal guilt rather than to general blame
criminative
vsincriminating
  • Formal
9.9

Suggesting that someone did something wrong

implies criminal guilt specifically rather than generally charging or blaming

Antonyms

exculpatory
  • Formal
15 9.9

Evidence or statements that show someone did not commit a crime

How Incriminating

conclusive
65 4.8
damning
49 5.3
incriminating
41 7.2
suggestive
18 5.2
innocuous
30 6.5

Surface Forms

incriminating positive

Morphology

incriminating = incriminate (transparent) = incriminate + ing

The adjective is the present participle/gerund form of the verb 'incriminate' formed by adding '-ing', so its meaning is directly derived from the verb.

Etymology

The word incriminating comes from old Latin parts in- and crimen, where crimen meant 'charge' or 'accusation' and is the same root behind English crime and criminal. So, incriminating information is information that 'puts the charge' on someone and makes them look guilty.