unlawful

[ uhn-law-fuhl ]

/ ʌnˈlɔ fəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unlawful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not lawful; contrary to law; illegal.

born out of wedlock; illegitimate.

Nearby words

Origin of unlawful

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

SYNONYMS FOR unlawful

1. illicit. See illegal. 2. bastard, natural.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unlawful ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·law·ful·ly, adverbun·law·ful·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unlawful

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
He sued for his freedom on the ground that slavery was unlawful in free territory, under the Compromise.
Expansion and Conflict|William E. Dodd
At once I pounced on this admission, crying: 'That shows that he regarded the transaction as unlawful!
Oriental Encounters|Marmaduke Pickthall
This love Meadows thought and hoped would hallow the unlawful means by which he must crown it.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
It is difficult to draw the line as to what is a lawful and what is an unlawful expression of this sex-temperament.
An Outline of Sexual Morality|Kenneth Ingram
The following list exhibits some of the unlawful substances seized at different breweries and at chemical laboratories.
A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons|Fredrick Accum

British Dictionary definitions for unlawful

unlawful

/ (ʌnˈlɔːfʊl) /

adjective

illegal

illicit; immoralunlawful love

an archaic word for illegitimate

Derived Formsunlawfully, 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

Word Origin and History for unlawful

unlawful

adj.

c.1300, from un- (1) "not" + lawful. Unlawful assembly is recorded in statutes from late 15c. Related: Unlawfully.

unlawful

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of unlawful

Examples from the Web for unlawful

unlawful

adjective

unlawful