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.

The bill proposes to make it illegal to implicitly condone or play down acts of terrorism, extending the scope of existing legislation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Shares of Live Nation sank on Wednesday after a jury found that the Ticketmaster parent had acted as an illegal monopoly over the ticketing industry, according to reports.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

It is illegal for someone in that position to refer to themselves as a barrister in connection to legal services.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

After reviewing data and some court records for ProPublica and FRONTLINE, Fishman said, “The numbers seem to indicate a pattern and practice of illegal arrests.”

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Just thinking about it—all that talk of flames and fire—felt sort of illegal.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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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