illegal
[ ih-lee-guhl ]
/ ɪˈli gəl /
adjective
forbidden by law or statute.
contrary to or forbidden by official rules, regulations, etc.: The referee ruled that it was an illegal forward pass.
noun
Informal: Disparaging and Offensive.
illegal alien.
SYNONYMS FOR illegal
synonym study for illegal
1, 2.
Illegal,
unlawful,
illegitimate,
illicit,
criminal can all describe actions not in accord with law.
Illegal refers most specifically to violations of statutes or, in organized athletics, codified rules:
an illegal seizure of property; an illegal block (
in football ).
Unlawful means not sanctioned by or according to law:
an unlawful claim to the inheritance; to take unlawful advantage of the trading situation.
Illegitimate means lacking legal or traditional right or rights:
an illegitimate child; illegitimate use of privileged knowledge.
Illicit, which originally meant simply “not permitted,” now most often applies to matters regulated by law with specific emphasis on the way things are carried out:
illicit conversion of property; an illicit attempt to control the market.
Criminal most often refers to violation of the statutes of penal as opposed to civil law. All felonies are criminal as are all crimes sometimes punishable by death such as murder, arson, and kidnapping:
a criminal act.
usage note for illegal
3. See
illegal alien.
OTHER WORDS FROM illegal
il·le·gal·ly, adverbWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH illegal
illegal illicit (see synonym study at the current entry)Words nearby illegal
illative,
illaudable,
illawarra,
ille,
ille-et-vilaine,
illegal,
illegal alien,
illegal procedure,
illegality,
illegalize,
illegible
Example sentences from the Web for illegally
British Dictionary definitions for illegally
illegal
/ (ɪˈliːɡəl) /
adjective
forbidden by law; unlawful; illicit
unauthorized or prohibited by a code of official or accepted rules
noun
a person who has entered or attempted to enter a country illegally