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felony

felony

310 5.5
A very serious crime like murder or arson that can bring many years in prison
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛləni/
  • Specialized
translation icon : delito grave
  • They got the most minor felony that you can get.
  • commit a felony
  • a felony charge
  • felony conviction

But even there, it's not a felony to fail to report the crime.

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Examples

  • But even there, it's not a felony to fail to report the crime.

  • That painting is material evidence in a felony proceeding.

  • Now you have yourself a Class E, which is the lowest degree of felony in New York, but you have a felony.

  • But I've never even been charged with a felony or with anything else.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Over the same period, the likelihood of any future felony charges increases by 32.2%.

    Academic text (2017)
  • You can't photograph a government document, it's a felony.

  • It alleges assault in the second degree, which is a felony in the state of New York.

  • Nelson Biederman, you've been found guilty of felony assault.

  • Its leaders, including Chief Obafemi Awolowo, were arrested for treasonable felony, tried, and jailed.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The suspect is facing a felony charge for armed robbery, which could lead to a lengthy prison sentence.

Synonyms

crime
vsfelony
1.4

An act that breaks the law and can be punished

is reserved for very serious unlawful acts punished by long prison or death
criminal offense
vsfelony
  • US
14 3.5

An action that breaks the law and can result in punishment such as jail or fines

is limited to very serious unlawful acts that receive long prison terms or death

Antonyms

lawfulness
  • Formal
1 4.7

Being allowed by law

How Serious

capital offense
  • Formal
9 8.2
felony
  • Specialized
310 5.5
crime
1.4
misdemeanor
  • Specialized
133 6.0
infraction
47 7.2

Surface Forms

felony singular
felonies plural

Morphology

felony = felon (transparent) = felon + y

The noun is formed from 'felon' with the nominalizing suffix '-y' and denotes the crime associated with a felon, so the relation is directly inferable.

Etymology

Felony comes from an old French word felonie, meaning a 'bad or treacherous act', and is related to the English word felon, a person who commits a serious crime. So felony today means a very serious crime, like murder or arson, usually punished by long prison time.