adjective
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illegal
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illicit; immoral
unlawful love
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an archaic word for illegitimate
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:
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.
Magyar accused Fidesz of trying to blackmail him and made three allegations of unlawful conduct in a statement on Friday.
From BBC
“But as discussed, plaintiffs have made a sufficient showing that defendants issued internal guidance to terminate public-health grants for unlawful reasons; that guidance is enjoined as the parties develop a record.”
From Los Angeles Times
She said she regretted ever knowing him and had no knowledge of any new or ongoing unlawful activity on his part.
In her witness statement she said: "I was not satisfied on the basis of the evidence I had seen that Associated journalists had commissioned unlawful searches for information."
From BBC
In December, the FTC said Instacart would pay $60 million in refunds to consumers to settle claims it used unlawful tactics to raise grocery costs.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
