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Glite Dictionary
habitual criminal

habitual criminal

2 7.1
A person who often commits the same kind of crime and is arrested many times
  • noun
  • /həˈbɪtʃuəl ˈkrɪmɪnəl/
translation icon : delincuente habitual
  • Mason is serving a life sentence in Stateville Penitentiary in Joliet, Ill., after a state court convicted him of armed robbery as a habitual criminal.

Examples

  • Police soon learned Brooks' true identity from crime data and found that he is a habitual criminal with an extensive record of arrests, charges, and convictions.

    Blog text (9)

  • Voters also opted for a softening of controversial 'three strike' laws for habitual criminals

    Blog text (23)

  • Is it a habitual criminal?

    Hurry Sundown (1967)

  • It is the face of a habitual criminal.

    Alice in Wonderland (1999)

  • He is 15 years old and a habitual criminal.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • While California voters appeared to oppose ending the death penalty, they broadly approved another ballot measure to soften the state's controversial 'three strikes' law, which gives longer sentences to habitual criminals.

    Blog text (23)

  • The police are keeping a close watch on him because he is known as a habitual criminal in the neighborhood.

  • Despite numerous warnings, he continues his life of crime as a habitual criminal.

  • The judge decided to impose a harsher sentence on the habitual criminal to deter him from reoffending.

Synonyms

jailbird
vshabitual criminal
  • Offensive
14 7.8

A person who often goes to prison for crimes

is repeatedly arrested or convicted rather than defined by prison time
recidivist
vshabitual criminal
4 9.8

A person who keeps committing crimes after being punished

is repeatedly arrested or convicted often for the same type of crime

How Frequent

habitual criminal
2 7.1

Surface Forms

habitual criminal singular
habitual criminals plural

Morphology

habitual + criminal

The meaning is directly compositional: 'habitual' (characteristic of regular occurrence) modifies 'criminal' (a person who commits crime), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'a person who repeatedly commits or is convicted of crimes.' This adjectival + noun pattern is common across languages and follows regular English compounding rules, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The term habitual criminal comes from the idea of a habitual action (a habit) plus criminal for someone who breaks the law. It paints the picture of a person who keeps doing the same crimes like a bad habit, so it means 'someone who repeatedly commits crimes'.