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 spokesperson for HMP Addiewell said it took matters "extremely seriously" and that any prisoner found with illegal items is immediately reported to the relevant authorities.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Shares of Live Nation sank on Wednesday after a jury found that the Ticketmaster parent had acted as an illegal monopoly over the ticketing industry, according to reports.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The government sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging the company maintained an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

The bill proposes to make it illegal to implicitly condone or play down acts of terrorism, extending the scope of existing legislation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

But the illegal taps never led to the identity of the leaker—the Times reporter had actually gotten the story from a British journalist in Cambodia.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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