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 rest include people who arrived by other illegal means or who came to the UK legally and applied for asylum while holding, or just after holding, a valid visa.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

The policy was extended to other border crossings, but it was challenged as illegal in federal court in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

Black coral is protected under the Wildlife Act, and it is illegal to intentionally collect or damage these corals.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

This law requires big social-media and search platforms to address certain risks, such as the spread of illegal content and the use of disinformation to manipulate election results.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Abortion was, and still is, illegal in Iran, but women were either able to find medical practitioners willing to perform one or would take the back-alley route.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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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