unlawful

[ uhn-law-fuhl ]

/ ʌnˈlɔ fəl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for unlawful on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not lawful; contrary to law; illegal.

born out of wedlock; illegitimate.

OTHER WORDS FOR unlawful

1 illicit.

2 bastard, natural.

See synonyms for unlawful on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of unlawful

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

synonym study for unlawful

1. See illegal.

OTHER WORDS FROM unlawful

un·law·ful·ly, adverbun·law·ful·ness, noun

Words nearby unlawful

unlade, unlaid, unlamented, unlash, unlatch, unlawful, unlawful assembly, unlax, unlay, unlead, unleaded

How to use unlawful in a sentence

In July 2018, the company agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty to the CFPB after the federal agency found it had used a network of companies that “engaged in frequent unlawful debt collection acts.”
Debt collectors, payday lenders collected over $500 million in federal pandemic relief|Peter Whoriskey, Joel Jacobs, Aaron Gregg|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
“Anyone attempting to unlawfully gain access to the Capitol Grounds by climbing a fence or any other unlawful means will be subject to an appropriate use of force and arrest,” the statement said.
Inauguration Day closures expected to include the Mall, major bridges|Emily Davies, Justin Jouvenal|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
The primary was condemned by China’s top agencies for Hong Kong as an “unlawful manipulation” of the city’s election system and a violation of the national security law.
Hong Kong arrests American lawyer in latest round-up of opposition figures|Claire Zillman, reporter|January 6, 2021|Fortune
Since then, the attorneys general contend, Google built an unlawful monopoly in no small part because it requires publishers to use its full suite of tools.
Texas leads Republican attorneys general in new antitrust lawsuit against Google, targeting its advertising empire|Tony Romm|December 16, 2020|Washington Post

Mastercard said it is terminating use of its cards on Pornhub after its own investigation confirmed violations of standards prohibiting unlawful conduct on the site.
Visa, Mastercard won’t allow charges for services on Pornhub|Verne Kopytoff|December 11, 2020|Fortune
Dovgan is only one of many cases of unlawful detention, according to Human Rights Watch Senior Research Tanya Lokshina.
The Corrupt Cops of Rebel-Held East Ukraine|Kristina Jovanovski|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Among these are obscenity, defamation, fighting words, express incitement to unlawful conduct, and threats.
Does Free Speech Cover Murder Fantasies? The Supreme Court’s Definition of a ‘Threat’|Geoffrey R. Stone|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were then told we were all being arrested for ‘unlawful protesting.’
Dispatch From USC Protests over Ferguson|Maya Richard Craven|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also revealed his view that the operation itself had been unlawful: it was “not legal because no finding.”
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations|Malcolm Byrne|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The military insists that civilian deaths are investigated whenever allegations of unlawful killing are made.
Obama's Pentagon Covered Up War Crimes in Afghanistan, Says Amnesty International|Nico Hines, Sami Yousafzai|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lease for an unlawful purpose is void, for example, for the sale of spirituous liquors contrary to law.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
No performance on either side can give the unlawful contract any validity, or be the foundation of any right of action upon it.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Of course, they had a right to defend their homes and families against unlawful invaders.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Charges of unlawful carnal knowledge or indecent assault arise, for the most part, from complaints made by females.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
They resented most of all one of his decrees which made it unlawful for persons not in his service to carry arms in time of peace.
Belgium|George W. T. (George William Thomson) Omond

British Dictionary definitions for unlawful

unlawful

/ (ʌnˈlɔːfʊl) /

adjective

illegal

illicit; immoralunlawful love

an archaic word for illegitimate

Derived forms of unlawful

unlawfully, adverbunlawfulness, noun

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

unlawful

OTHER WORDS FOR unlawful

Origin of unlawful

synonym study for unlawful

OTHER WORDS FROM unlawful

Words nearby unlawful

Words related to unlawful

How to use unlawful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unlawful

Derived forms of unlawful