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.

District Judge April Perry excoriated prosecutors for using illegal tactics to get the criminal charges past a skeptical grand jury, dressing down U.S.

From Slate • May 22, 2026

Officials said the area around Bixby Bridge has become particularly busy, and in some cases dangerous, with an uptick in illegal roadside parking, and sometimes in active lanes of traffic.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Renner added that “any employee who does not abide by our code of conduct, or who is found to be participating in unethical or illegal activity, can no longer be employed by our statewide organization.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Owning a Starlink terminal is illegal in Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

It is illegal to subject pretrial detainees like Walter and Myers to confinement that constitutes punishment.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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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