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 statement continued: “ICE conducted a routine vehicle stop on a car registered to an illegal alien. After Venegas’ identity was established, he was released.”

From Salon • May 24, 2026

For example it could be difficult for Sky to prove that the people - whose info they got from the court order - actually streamed illegal content on that info alone.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

"All regions and relevant authorities are required to... launch tough crackdowns on illegal and unlawful activities", including the falsification of safety data, unclear headcounts of underground workers and illegal contracting, it added.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

Both legal and illegal immigration soared in recent years to record levels.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

I explained that what the State had done to him was illegal and that we could pursue a civil action against them, but he had no interest in that.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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Fear and Loathing in Cleveland: Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech

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