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.

Musk himself said: "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

The same satellites used to monitor illegal fishing and update Google Maps have found a new and deadly application.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Wildlife officers have busted an illegal cockroach-breeding operation in rural Australia, seizing a skin-crawling haul worth more than $100,000 on the black market for exotic bugs.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

More than 100,000 illegal exotic cockroaches - some as big as the palm of a hand - have been seized by Australian authorities from a commercial breeder in New South Wales.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

“Just because something is illegal or unethical, that doesn’t mean that someone hasn’t done it.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Vocabulary lists containing illegal

List 3

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