unlawful

adjective

un·​law·​ful ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl 

1

: not lawful : illegal

2

: not morally right or conventional

unlawfully

ˌən-ˈlȯ-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

unlawfulness

ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• criminal
• felonious
• illegal
• illegitimate
• illicit
• lawless
• wrongful

Examples of unlawful in a Sentence

The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.

it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump, Musk so far provide scant evidence for their claims of government fraud Trump's post on Saturday sparked backlash from Democrats, who accused him of using the office of the presidency to justify unlawful or ethically dubious actions. —Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2025

Legal experts say the moves are likely unlawful, workers complain they were sloppily handled, and the whole process runs the risk of doing long-term damage to critical workings of the federal government. —Emily Peck, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025

Their egregious and seemingly unlawful acts compromise our national security and put Americans at risk. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025

Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful. —Emily Steel, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

unlawful

adjective

un·​law·​ful ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl 

ˈən-

: not lawful : being against the law : illegal

unlawfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

unlawfulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun

Legal Definition

unlawful

adjective

un·​law·​ful

1

: not lawful : not authorized or justified by law

2

: acting contrary to or in defiance of the law

an unlawful possessor

unlawfully adverb

unlawfulness noun