unlawful

1 of 2

adjective

un·​law·​ful ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl 

1

a

: not lawful : illegal

unlawful actions

b

: acting contrary to or in defiance of the law

an unlawful possessor

2

: not morally right or conventional

unlawfully

ˌən-ˈlȯ-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

unlawfulness

ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl-nəs 

noun

unlawfulness

2 of 2

noun

un·​law·​ful·​ness

: the quality or state of being unlawful

Synonyms of unlawful

Adjective

• illegal
• illicit
• criminal

Examples of unlawful in a Sentence

Adjective

The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.

it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

On Monday, a German court in Hamburg convicted an unnamed brother and sister of money laundering in a case regarding the unlawful sale of ancient Egyptian artifacts. — News Desk, Artforum, 26 Aug. 2026

Habeas petitions are often filed as a last resort and to protect against unlawful confinement after appeals are exhausted, as happened after Maxwell’s conviction and sentencing. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

This summer, acourt in the Chinese city of Guangzhou sided with a graphics designer who was replaced by AI, ruling his dismissal was unlawful. — Jennifer Pak, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026

The Manhattan Federal Court action filed by the British former socialite in December argued that new information arising in related lawsuits and the government’s trove of investigative files on Epstein proved her imprisonment was unlawful. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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