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.

A Gates spokesperson said he wasn’t involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and acknowledged it was a mistake to have met with him.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Whoever replaces Petro will have to reckon with a myriad of criminal groups engaging in drug trafficking and illegal mining.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

Zapatero, who is due to be questioned in court on 17 June, has insisted he has done nothing illegal and for now, at least, he has Sánchez's "full support".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent of China.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

A counselor from another house comes around every few days and goes through all your stuff to make sure you don’t have nothin’ illegal.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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