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.

At the time, Bahraman had 5,000 Persian Bibles, which are illegal in Iran, stored in his own apartment.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

"Of course, until yesterday the prime minister was claiming that this leadership had brought order to the chaos of illegal subsidies," it said.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The organisation called the process illegal and said it would challenge it in court.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The UK government claims the deal has prevented 42,000 illegal migrants getting on boats, although the overall number making the journey across the Channel has continued to increase.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Don Julio said it was illegal for a driver to refuse a fare, but that didn’t stop them from doing it.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

illegal

Example Sentences

Related Words