illegal
Something illegal is against the law or breaks the rules. If you're reading this in jail, you've probably done something illegal, and if you're not in jail, there's plenty of time to obey the law.
You can use the adjective illegal to describe breaking the rules, as when you head-butt someone in a game. Acts that go against the law, such as robbing a bank, are also illegal. There is a wide range of things called illegal, from small acts to big ones, but no matter the seriousness, if it is against the law, it is illegal. This adjective also describes people who enter countries without official government approval, they are called "illegal immigrants" or "illegal aliens."
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prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules“an illegal chess move”
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Synonyms:
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unlawful
contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law
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amerciable
of a crime or misdemeanor; punishable by a fine set by a judge
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banned, prohibited
forbidden by law
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black, black-market, bootleg, contraband, smuggled
distributed or sold illicitly
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criminal, felonious
involving or being or having the nature of a crime
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dirty, ill-gotten
obtained illegally or by improper means
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embezzled, misappropriated
taken for your own use in violation of a trust
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extrajudicial
beyond the usual course of legal proceedings; legally unwarranted
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extralegal, nonlegal
not regulated or sanctioned by law
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hot
recently stolen or smuggled
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illegitimate, illicit, outlaw, outlawed, unlawful
contrary to or forbidden by law
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ineligible
prohibited by official rules
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misbranded, mislabeled
branded or labeled falsely and in violation of statutory requirements
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penal, punishable
subject to punishment by law
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under-the-counter
done or sold illicitly and secretly;
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unratified
lacking legal authority
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illegitimate
of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful
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irregular
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
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Antonyms:
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legal
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
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lawful
conformable to or allowed by law
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court-ordered
ordered by a court of law
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judicial
decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice
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jural, juristic
of or relating to law or to legal rights and obligations
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lawful, legitimate, licit
authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law
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ratified, sanctioned
formally approved and invested with legal authority
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statutory
prescribed or authorized by or punishable under a statute
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sub judice
before a judge or court of law; awaiting judicial determination
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legitimate
of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful
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unlawful
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