unconstitutional
[uhn-kon-sti-too-shuh-nl, -tyoo-]
- not constitutional; unauthorized by or inconsistent with the constitution, as of a country.
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Origin of unconstitutional
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
illegitimatewrongfulunlawfulbannedcriminalfeloniousforbiddenillicitlawlessprohibitedunauthorizedoutlawedprosecutableExamples from the Web for unconstitutional
Contemporary Examples
The legal question is whether this constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to a private entity.
Twenty-nine consecutive judicial decisions in the past year have held bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional.
Justice Kennedy Opened the Door to Same-Sex Marriage, Will He Walk Through Next?Geoffrey R. Stone
August 3, 2014
First, laws that treat people differently from one another without a rational justification are unconstitutional.
Justice Kennedy Opened the Door to Same-Sex Marriage, Will He Walk Through Next?Geoffrey R. Stone
August 3, 2014
While the Court did not invalidate Section 5, it did rule Section 4(b) unconstitutional.
These, he explained, are hallmarks of unconstitutional governmental action.
Even Conservative Judges Can’t Deny the Constitutional Logic of Same-Sex MarriageMargo Schlanger
May 18, 2014
Historical Examples
This conclusion is unconstitutional, as it was not adopted unanimously.
It was unconstitutional to return the money which they had borrowed and used!
Do gentlemen claim it is unconstitutional to amend the Constitution?
The first took the ground that the bill was unconstitutional.
The plaintiff in error is not less interested in the operation of this unconstitutional law than if it affected his property.
unconstitutional
- at variance with or not permitted by a constitution
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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
Word Origin and History for unconstitutional
adj.
1734, from un- (1) "not" + constitutional.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper