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Showing results for illegal. Search instead for prelegal.
Definitions

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.

In 1966, he led the workers on an illegal strike, paralyzing the city and its idealistic new mayor, John V. Lindsay.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

At first they made money from illegal logging and plantations, later benefitting from a speculative property boom in the cities fuelled by Chinese investors.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Many of them—instituted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—were deemed illegal by the U.S.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

In a March ruling unsealed Thursday, a federal judge found that Border Patrol agents had continued making illegal arrests in California’s Central Valley without reasonable suspicion.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 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