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 also recorded 67,000 "ghost shops" across seven major food delivery platforms, which together with the order-transfer sites "formed an illegal supply chain through mutual collusion", Xinhua reported.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

One other factor got less attention: the clampdown on the illegal flow of firearms.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

But the spontaneity that charmed tourists and supported street vendors in Vietnam's capital has subsided in recent months as authorities clamp down on illegal use of footpaths.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, BBC Scotland has analysed the scale and timing of Murrell's illegal purchases – and produced a searchable list of all the goods he admitted buying.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 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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