unlawful

American

[uhn-law-fuhl] / ʌnˈlɔ fəl /

adjective

not lawful; contrary to law; illegal.

Synonyms:

illicit
born out of wedlock; illegitimate.

Synonyms:

natural, bastard

unlawful British

/ ʌnˈlɔːfʊl /

adjective

illegal
illicit; immoral

unlawful love
an archaic word for illegitimate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See illegal.

Other Word Forms

unlawfully adverb
unlawfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of unlawful

First recorded in 1250–1300, unlawful is from the Middle English word unlaweful. See un- ¹, lawful

Compare meaning

How does unlawful compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

unlawful vs. illegal

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.

In August, Han told her followers in a video message: "I have never ordered any unlawful political request or monetary transaction."

From Barron's

"I was not a recruiter, agent, operator or facilitator of any unlawful activity," she says.

From BBC

His letter is in response to a UK Supreme Court judgement that the Christian focused RE taught in Northern Ireland was unlawful.

From BBC

What about the risks of obeying an unlawful order?

From The Wall Street Journal

A district court judge ruled it unlawful but an appeals court allowed the deployment to proceed.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023