die  Kriminalität

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/kʁiminaˈlɪtɛːt/

🕵️‍♀️ What does "Kriminalität" mean?

Die Kriminalität is a feminine German noun that refers to the phenomenon of crime or criminality in general. It describes the entirety of punishable acts within a society or a specific area. It's an abstract concept representing the existence and extent of criminal activities.

It doesn't refer to a single criminal act (like der Diebstahl - the theft, or der Mord - the murder), but rather to the concept or problem of crime itself.

⚠️ Because it's an abstract collective noun, Kriminalität is almost exclusively used in the singular.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Insights: die Kriminalität

The word Kriminalität is a feminine noun. Therefore, the article is always die. It is typically used only in the singular.

Example Sentences

• Die Kriminalität in dieser Stadt ist besorgniserregend hoch. (Crime in this city is worryingly high.)
• Die Regierung hat neue Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung der organisierten Kriminalität angekündigt. (The government has announced new measures to combat organized crime.)
• Statistiken zeigen einen Rückgang der Jugendkriminalität. (Statistics show a decrease in youth crime / juvenile delinquency.)
• Armut wird oft als eine Ursache von Kriminalität genannt. (Poverty is often cited as a cause of crime.)

🌐 How to Use "Kriminalität"

Kriminalität is mainly used in formal contexts, such as:

• Law and Justice: Discussing laws, law enforcement, crime statistics (Kriminalstatistiken).
• Sociology and Politics: Analyzing causes and effects of crime on society.
• Media Reporting: Describing general crime rates or specific types of crime (e.g., Wirtschaftskriminalität - white-collar crime, Cyberkriminalität - cybercrime).

Distinction from similar terms:

• Kriminalität vs. Verbrechen: Kriminalität is the general term, the phenomenon. Das Verbrechen (crime) often refers to a single offense or the type of offense (e.g., "Ein schweres Verbrechen wurde begangen." - "A serious crime was committed.").
• Kriminalität vs. Delikt: Das Delikt (offense, delinquency) is a legal term for a punishable act, often less severe than a Verbrechen.

Common phrases include "hohe/niedrige Kriminalität" (high/low crime rate) or "steigende/sinkende Kriminalität" (rising/falling crime rate).

💡 Mnemonics

Article Mnemonic: Remember that many abstract German nouns ending in "-heit", "-keit", "-schaft", "-ung", or "-tät" are feminine. Kriminalität fits this pattern, so it's die Kriminalität (like die Universität, die Qualität).

Meaning Mnemonic: The word sounds very similar to the English word "criminality". Imagine a large, abstract cloud ☁️ encompassing all criminal acts – that's die Kriminalität.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words (Avoid Confusion):

• Der Kriminelle / Die Kriminelle: (The criminal; the person committing crimes)
• Kriminell (adjective): (Criminal; describes an act or person as punishable)
• Die Kriminalistik: (Criminology/Forensic science; the science of crime fighting and investigation)
• Die Kriminalpolizei (Kripo): (Criminal investigation department; branch of the police investigating crimes)

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der Richter den Angeklagten: "Warum haben Sie das Auto gestohlen?"
Antwortet der Angeklagte: "Herr Richter, es stand direkt vor dem Schild 'Nehmen Sie dieses Auto!'"
Richter: "Da stand 'Parken Sie dieses Auto!'"
Angeklagter: "Ach so, mein Fehler lag also nur in der Interpretation der öffentlichen Aufforderung zur Kriminalität?"

--- Translation ---

The judge asks the defendant: "Why did you steal the car?"
The defendant answers: "Your Honor, it was parked right in front of the sign 'Take this car!'"
Judge: "It said 'Park this car!'"
Defendant: "Oh, so my only mistake was misinterpreting the public invitation to criminality?"

📜 Poem about Kriminalität

Die Kriminalität, ein Schatten schwer,
liegt überm Land, mal hier, mal her.
Sie schleicht durch Gassen, dunkel, kalt,
missachtet Recht, kennt kein' Gestalt.
Gesetze woll'n sie zähmen, binden,
doch neue Wege wird sie finden.
Ein Kampf, der dauert, Tag und Nacht,
für Ordnung, Recht und Sicherheit entfacht.

--- Translation ---

Criminality, a heavy shade,
lies over the land, here and there displayed.
It creeps through alleys, dark and cold,
disregards the law, has no true mold.
Laws want to tame it, hold it tight,
but it will find new paths of night.
A battle wages, day and night,
for order, justice, safety's light.

❓ Riddle

Ich bin ein Zustand, keine Tat allein,
die Summe dessen, was nicht sollte sein.
Polizei und Richter jagen mich,
Gesetze sollen brechen mich.
Man misst mich oft in Prozent und Zahl,
mein Gegenteil ist die Legalität, ohne Qual.

Wer bin ich?

--- Translation ---

I am a state, not just one deed,
the sum of all that shouldn't proceed.
Police and judges hunt me down,
laws are meant to break my crown.
I'm often measured in percent and rate,
my opposite is the legal state, without hate.

What am I?

🧩 Other Information

Word Composition & Origin:

The word Kriminalität derives from the Latin word crimen (genitive criminis), which originally meant "accusation", "charge", or "offense". It entered German via the adjective criminalis ("criminal") and the French criminalité.

Related Terms:

• Bagatellkriminalität: Petty crime.
• Schwerkriminalität: Serious crime.
• Organisierte Kriminalität: Organized crime.
• Wirtschaftskriminalität: White-collar crime / Economic crime.
• Cyberkriminalität: Cybercrime.