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.

But the U.S. can’t stop the illegal flow of oil solely by chasing tankers at sea.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Courts can block abuses of federal power, including illegal arrests, detentions and mass citizen databases.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

But it has come under fierce scrutiny since October 2024 when the EU opened its investigation, which preliminarily found in July last year that Temu had breached landmark rules over the risks of illegal products.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

"I'm so sorry to all of you. I'm just so sorry to have done illegal acts that I will forever regret. I will take it to my grave," he said.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Yurchenko's testimony did not give the FBI enough evidence to arrest Howard—they needed hard proof of his illegal activities if they were to have any hope of building a case and bringing him to trial.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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