unlawful

adjective

ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl How to pronounce unlawful (audio)
Definition of unlawfulnext
1
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable a sympathetic look at the unlawful love between a married physician and an adoring colleague

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unlawful Robert Lee Beebe, 34, was charged Thursday with resisting arrest by fleeing, as well as tampering with a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of a firearm. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025 Lansky is facing one charge of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 20 Mar. 2025 Both the 13-year-old and the 15-year-old are facing an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death, and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, police said. — Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025 The 13-year-old and 15-year-old face charges of an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, among several other charges, officials said. — Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unlawful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawful
  1. illegal
  2. immoral
  3. illicit
  4. evil
  5. criminal
  6. sinful
  7. vicious
  8. vile
Adjective
  • Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.
    — James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2017
  • Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.
    — Lisa Beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, 5 July 2017
Definition of illegal
Adjective
  • Trump’s contrived veneer is being ripped away to reveal an immoral, mendacious, transactional opportunist, without a shred of loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Before these studies, the cause of TB was presumed to be primarily constitutional, by either an inherent predisposition or from unhealthy or immoral lifestyles.
    — Karen Dobos, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • For many years, China has been the largest source of both legal supplies of the drug – which is prescribed for severe pain relief – and illicit supplies of precursor chemicals that are typically processed in labs in Mexico before the final product is smuggled across the US border.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • In March 2025, more than 650,000 fentanyl pills were seized, following a record of $300 million worth of illicit fentanyl taken off the streets since 2023.
    — Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • No country will afford to regimes which practice racial discrimination assistance which in its own judgment directly contributes to the pursuit or consolidation of this evil policy.
    — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
  • She was set to flee the country to escape the clutches of an ancient evil empress who happened to be her wicked stepmother.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Immigrant advocates on Monday sued the Trump administration over a rule requiring immigrants to register with the federal government or face criminal prosecution.
    — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Additionally, financial transactions indicating criminal activity, such as money laundering, contribute to the score.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Driven by a religious mandate to purify society by stopping sinful behavior, the AFMRS’s missionaries provided direct outreach to low-income areas.
    — Jenna Deep, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Here's the list of least-to-most sinful states, according to WalletHub: TRAVELERS FLOCK TO TOP RELIGIOUS LANDMARKS DEEMED 'MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE' (iStock) 50.
    — Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
Definition of sinful
Adjective
  • This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.
    — Sarah Hernholm, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Snow White gets a much more meaningful backstory The original Disney film begins with a few short sentences about how Snow White was forced to work as a scullery maid for her vile stepmother, the Queen.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Newsweek's efforts to politicize the death of these individuals, including the reporter's request to confirm names and locations of death, are vile.
    — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of vile

Browse Nearby Words

unlatching
unlawful
unlawfulness
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Cite this Entry

“Unlawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawful. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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