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.

And there is nothing unlawful suggested in Andrew's behaviour.

From BBC

“The fact that we have not died should not be considered a validation of ill-conceived decisions that were unlawful.”

From The Wall Street Journal

And a significant percentage of growing unlawful detention cases filed in federal courts stem from Texas.

From Salon

Patil, who has a substantial following on Facebook and YouTube, has called the action against him "unlawful".

From BBC

The city’s “entire character changed” on Jan. 7, 2025, when the defendants’ “unlawful conduct caused the Palisades Fire to ignite,” according to the complaint.

From Los Angeles Times

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