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Crime vs Wrongdoing - What's the difference?

crime | wrongdoing |

In countable terms the difference between crime and wrongdoing

is that crime is a specific act committed in violation of the law while wrongdoing is an instance of doing wrong.

In uncountable terms the difference between crime and wrongdoing

is that crime is criminal acts collectively while wrongdoing is violation of standards of behavior.

As a verb crime

is to commit crime(s).

crime

English

(wikipedia crime)

Noun

  • (countable) A specific act committed in violation of the law.
  • (uncountable) The practice or habit of committing crimes.
  • Crime doesn’t pay.
  • (uncountable) criminal acts collectively.
  • Any great wickedness or sin; iniquity.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • No crime' was thine, if 'tis no ' crime to love.
  • (obsolete) That which occasions crime.
  • * Spenser
  • the tree of life, the crime of our first father's fall

    Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "crime": organized, brutal, terrible, horrible, heinous, horrendous, hideous, financial, sexual, international.

    Synonyms

    * (criminal acts collectively) delinquency, crime rate, criminality

    Hyponyms

    * * * * * * *

    Derived terms

    * crime against humanity * crime against nature * crimebuster * crime index * crime mapping * crime rate * criminal * criminal law * criminal record * criminology * decriminalization * international crime * organised crime / organized crime * sexual crime * war crime * white collar crime

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To commit (s).
  • * 1987 , Robert Sampson, Yesterday's Faces: From the Dark Side (ISBN 0879723637), page 61:
  • If, during the 1920s, the master criminal was a gamester, criming for self expression, during the 1930s he performed in other ways for other purposes.

    See also

    * offence * sin * administrative infraction (less serious violation of the law) ----

    wrongdoing

    English

    Alternative forms

    * wrong-doing

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (uncountable) Violation of standards of behavior.
  • (countable) An instance of doing wrong.