illegal
pronunciation
How to pronounce illegal in British English:
UK [ɪˈliːɡl]
How to pronounce illegal in American English:
US [ɪˈliːɡl]
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- Adjective:
- prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
Word Origin
- illegal (adj.)
- 1620s, from French illégal or directly from Medieval Latin illegalis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + Latin legalis (see legal). Term illegal immigrant first recorded 1892 in American English (illegal immigration is from 1887).
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. Change money privately is illegal in china .
- 2. My husband says it was illegal .
- 3. Can legal free music compete with the illegal stuff ?
- 4. Town halls are obliged to register even illegal immigrants .
- 5. Immigrant associations say the figure is probably more than 20 per cent after accounting for illegal workers .