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.

District Judge April Perry excoriated prosecutors for using illegal tactics to get the criminal charges past a skeptical grand jury, dressing down U.S.

From Slate • May 22, 2026

But a federal judge last week ordered the US authorities to bring back one of the women sent to DR Congo, saying her deportation "was likely illegal".

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The illegal flows can be camouflaged amid the vast size of Binance, which has trillions of dollars in monthly transactions worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Renner added that “any employee who does not abide by our code of conduct, or who is found to be participating in unethical or illegal activity, can no longer be employed by our statewide organization.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Secretary of War Knox advised the squatters’ leaders to continue building in order to attract more illegal settlers.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"

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

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