illegal

[ih-lee-guhl] / ɪˈli gəl /

ADJECTIVE

against the law

Synonyms

STRONGEST

banned criminal illegitimate illicit irregular outlawed prohibited smuggled unauthorized unconstitutional unlawful unlicensed unwarranted wrongful

WEAK

actionable black-market bootleg contraband crooked extralegal felonious forbidden heavy hot interdicted lawless not approved not legal outside the law proscribed prosecutable racket shady sub-rosa taboo under-the-table unofficial unwarrantable verboten violating wildcat

Antonyms

STRONGEST

authorized blessed ethical good justifiable lawful legal legitimate moral permitted right warranted

WEAK

allowed permissible

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The investors sued under the statute, saying that move was obviously illegal.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Edwige Hill, Deputy Director in HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said the two men "showed a blatant disregard for international sanctions, seeking to profit from the illegal supply of weapons".

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

The fact that they were subsequently stripped of that African Nations title for staging an illegal 17-minute walk-off to protest an officiating decision has only endeared them to me further.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Authorities have listed 16 people suspected of illegal trading activity and violations of the Capital Markets Act, including Rainbow Robotics’ head and CFO.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

Golly’s holding Rae up above his head with one arm, and she’s standing on one foot—this is technically illegal at the high school level in our state.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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