unlawful

pronunciation

How to pronounce unlawful in British English: UK [ʌnˈlɔ:fl] word uk audio image

How to pronounce unlawful in American English: US [ʌnˈlɔfəl] word us audio image

Adjective:

not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention
contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law
not morally right or permissible
having no legally established claim
contrary to or forbidden by law

Word Origin

unlawful (adj.): "contrary to law, illegal," c. 1300, from un- (1) "not" + lawful. Unlawful assembly is recorded in statutes from late 15c. Related: Unlawfully. Old English had a noun unlagu ("unlaw") "illegal action, abuse of law."

Synonym

adj.

fatherless misbegotten misbegot adulterine bastard illegitimate unfathered common-law natural baseborn spurious

adj.

wildcat unlicensed forbidden contraband law under-the-table felonious unwarranted unsanctioned illegitimate illicit unapproved proscribed unauthorized illegal unofficial prohibited unaccredited unrecognized criminal under-the-counter larcenous banned against unconstitutional the

Antonym

adj.

Example

1. Goldman and merrill deny that they participated in unlawful naked shorting .

2. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse .

3. Mr khamenei had already declared such celebrations , which predate islam , to be religiously unlawful .

4. The police were ready to deal with " sporadic " unlawful demonstrations .

5. Both are accused of unlawful conduct over the lease of new police headquarters at grossly inflated prices .

more: >How to Use "unlawful" with Example Sentences