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

• illegal
• illicit
• criminal

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

The attorney general faced immense backlash from the left and the right over her comments, prompting her to clarify the remarks, which were widely interpreted as calling for unlawful prosecutions, on Tuesday morning. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025

In November, jurors convicted Martinez of unlawful compensation and a related conspiracy charge. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025

The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful. —Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025

The new charges are in addition to Rodriguez-Singh’s initial charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and capital murder of a person under 10 years of age. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unlawful

• awful
• lawful
• offal
• waffle

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