unlawful

contrary to law: unlawful search and seizure; born out of wedlock [All of the above describe actions that are not in accord with the law. However, there are some differences in meaning among the words. Illegal refers most specifically to violations of statutes or codified rules: illegal seizure of property. Illegitimate means lacking legal or traditional rights: illegitimate use of privileged information. Illicit most often applies to matters regulated by law with emphasis on the way things are carried out: illicit conversion of property. Unlawful means not sanctioned by law: an unlawful claim to an inheritance.]

Not to be confused with:

illegal – forbidden by law or statute: an illegal U-turn; forbidden by official rules or regulations: an illegal block (in football); something that is unacceptable to or not performed by a computer: an illegal operation

illegitimate – born out of wedlock: an illegitimate child; not sanctioned by law or custom: an illegitimate action; not in proper grammatical usage

illicit – not legally permitted or authorized: an illicit attempt to control the market; unlicensed; prohibited; not permitted by custom; disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons

un·law·ful

(ŭn-lô′fəl)

adj.

1. Not lawful; illegal.

2. Contrary to accepted morality or convention; illicit.

un·law′ful·ly adv.

un·law′ful·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

unlawful

(ʌnˈlɔːfʊl)

adj

1. (Law) illegal

2. illicit; immoral: unlawful love.

3. an archaic word for illegitimate

unˈlawfully adv

unˈlawfulness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

un•law•ful

(ʌnˈlɔ fəl)

adj.

1. not lawful; contrary to law; illegal.

2. born out of wedlock; illegitimate.

[1250–1300]

un•law′ful•ly, adv.

un•law′ful•ness, n.

syn: See illegal.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	unlawful - not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention; "an unconventional marriage"; "improper banking practices" improper, unconventional irregular - contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice; "irregular hiring practices"
	2.	unlawful - contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law; "unlawful measures"; "unlawful money"; "unlawful hunters" illegal - prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules; "an illegal chess move" corrupt, crooked - not straight; dishonest or immoral or evasive lawful - conformable to or allowed by law; "lawful methods of dissent"
	3.	unlawful - not morally right or permissible; "unlawful love" illicit - contrary to accepted morality (especially sexual morality) or convention; "an illicit association with his secretary"
	4.	unlawful - having no legally established claim; "the wrongful heir to the throne" wrongful illegitimate - of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful
	5.	unlawful - contrary to or forbidden by law; "an illegitimate seizure of power"; "illicit trade"; "an outlaw strike"; "unlawful measures" illegitimate, outlaw, outlawed, illicit illegal - prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules; "an illegal chess move"

unlawful

adjective illegal, criminal, illicit, banned, forbidden, prohibited, outlawed, illegitimate, unlicensed, under-the-table, unauthorized, against the law, actionable employees who believe their dismissal was unlawful

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

unlawful

adjective

1. Prohibited by law:

illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, outlawed, wrongful.

2. Of, involving, or being a crime:

criminal, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, wrongful.

3. Contrary to accepted, especially moral conventions:

illicit.

4. Born to parents who are not married to each other:

baseborn, bastard, illegitimate, misbegotten, natural, spurious.

Translations

gesetzeswidrig gesetzwidrig unrechtmäßig

ilegal

illégal

illegale illegalità

illegaal onwettig verboden wederrechtelijk

rettsstridig

unlawful

[ˈʌnˈlɔːfʊl] ADJ → ilegal, ilícito

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

unlawful

[ˌʌnˈlɔːfʊl] adj [act, dismissal, detention] → illégal(e)unlawful entry n → effraction funlawful killing n → délit m d'homicide

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

unlawful

adj → gesetzwidrig; means, sex, imprisonment, act → ungesetzlich, illegal; wedding → ungültig

unlawful

unlawful assembly

n (Jur) → verbotene or illegale Versammlung

unlawful entry

n (Jur) → Einbruch m

unlawful killing

n (Jur: = offence) → Tötungsdelikt nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

unlawful

[ʌnˈlɔːfʊl] adj → illecito/a, illegale

unlawful

a. ilegal, ilícito-a.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

If a return can be obtained, no matter by what unlawful means, the irregular member, who takes his seat of course, is sure of holding it a sufficient time to answer his purposes.

View in context

The former of these teaching the folly and vanity of it, and the latter correcting it as unlawful, and at the same time assuaging it, by raising future hopes and assurances, which enable a strong and religious mind to take leave of a friend, on his deathbed, with little less indifference than if he was preparing for a long journey; and, indeed, with little less hope of seeing him again.

View in context

Arthur Gride was tried for the unlawful possession of the will, which he had either procured to be stolen, or had dishonestly acquired and retained by other means as bad.

View in context

Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read.

View in context

As to those just causes of war which proceed from direct and unlawful violence, it appears equally clear to me that one good national government affords vastly more security against dangers of that sort than can be derived from any other quarter.

View in context

His weapon is a dagger carried under a black cloak when he goes out on his unlawful enterprises.

View in context

So Tip's guardian, however much she might aspire to working magic, realized it was unlawful to be more than a Sorceress, or at most a Wizardess.

View in context

I must say that for the next three months I threw myself into my unlawful trade with a sort of desperation, dogged and hopeless, like a fairly decent fellow who takes deliberately to drink.

View in context

We saw knights and grandees whom we knew, but they didn't know us in our rags and dirt and raw welts and bruises, and wouldn't have recognized us if we had hailed them, nor stopped to answer, either, it being unlawful to speak with slaves on a chain.

View in context

But if you lacked that qualification, and were an hungered, or inclined toward conviviality at unlawful hours, Colette's was your only port.

View in context

He was beginning, then, to dart at them glances full of mistrust and uneasiness, inviting Anne of Austria to throw perturbation in the midst of the unlawful assembly, when, suddenly, Bernouin, entering from behind the tapestry of the bedroom, whispered in the ear of Mazarin, "Monseigneur, an envoy from his majesty, the king of England."

View in context

Very true, I said; and observe the point which I want to understand: Certain of the unnecessary pleasures and appetites I conceive to be unlawful; every one appears to have them, but in some persons they are controlled by the laws and by reason, and the better desires prevail over them-either they are wholly banished or they become few and weak; while in the case of others they are stronger, and there are more of them.

View in context