Words / S / Law

self-incrimination

noun/ˌsɛlf ɪnˌkrɪmɪˈneɪʃən/

B2CEFR level
60/100Rarity: rare
TechnicalRegister

The act of exposing oneself to prosecution through one's own statements.

He invoked the privilege against self-incrimination and declined to answer the detective's questions.

Topic: Criminal law in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Criminal law