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.

They have also been trained to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in Tanzania.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

A spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal earlier this year that the company “always explicitly opposed any form of illegal or abusive conduct” on its network.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"Of course, until yesterday the prime minister was claiming that this leadership had brought order to the chaos of illegal subsidies," it said.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Even though off-road scramblers have been illegal on public roads since July 2023 in Ireland, the Irish government hopes the new law will bring "additional legal clarity".

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

He’d have bought them a honeymoon right then, but he knew the troll would say it was illegal.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

illegal

Example Sentences

Related Words