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

Green pleaded guilty to a count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in September 2023. —Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 21 Oct. 2025

The government’s lawyers argued the ruling effectively guts a statute aimed at reducing gun violence by preventing unlawful drug users from wielding firearms. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025

The teen was booked into a juvenile detention center and accused of multiple charges, including reckless driving and unlawful flight. —Julie Mendes, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Another judge in Rhode Island ordered DHS to permanently stop imposing grant conditions tied to immigration enforcement, after ruling in September that the conditions were unlawful — only to have DHS again try to impose them. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 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