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.
The specific agreement made with ICE by the Mille Lacs sheriff appears to have been initially unlawful, according to an opinion from the Minnesota attorney general’s office included in the documents.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026
The judge also ruled that the Pentagon’s closure of a special area reserved for Pentagon correspondents was unlawful and undermined the court’s previous order.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
The plan had faced a High Court challenge from rivals who argued Lidl was trying to use an unlawful loophole to operate an off-licence.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
"We're grateful the court recognized these issues need to be resolved quickly and remain confident the courts will ultimately agree that these supply chain designations were unlawful," an Anthropic spokesperson told AFP.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
“This is an unlawful assembly,” blared a voice from the chopper.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
