1
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
a sympathetic look at the unlawful love between a married physician and an adoring colleague
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unlawful
Authorities believe Torres-Chirinos fired the handgun in both incidents, and he is charged with two counts of firearms possession during the commission of a crime and one count of firearms possession by an unlawful alien.
—
Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Burglary/Breaking & Entering – The unlawful entry into a building or some other structure to commit a felony or a theft.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 2 June 2025
Handout Hemphill also pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a count of unlawful parading and was sentenced later that year to a term that included three years of probation.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 1 June 2025
The court concluded that the administration’s unilateral actions without approval by Congress were unlawful.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlawful
Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Burglary/Breaking & Entering – The unlawful entry into a building or some other structure to commit a felony or a theft.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 2 June 2025
Handout Hemphill also pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a count of unlawful parading and was sentenced later that year to a term that included three years of probation.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 1 June 2025
The court concluded that the administration’s unilateral actions without approval by Congress were unlawful.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlawful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawful
Adjective
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
Adjective
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Researchers also noted the chatbot engaging in other potentially disturbing—though not necessarily immoral—behavior.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
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Suggesting that being out of work is immoral, as opposed to the conditions that contribute to people’s ability to work and live, might be a more appropriate source of anxiety.—
Lauren Coulman,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Instead of calling for an expansive probe, however, the president identified just one potential target: ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising juggernaut, which has acknowledged receiving over 200 potentially illicit contributions last year from foreign internet addresses.—
Brian Slodysko,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
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Wetherell wrote that Trump's justification for the tariffs -- both stemming the flow of illicit drugs into the country and resolving a trade imbalance -- is sufficient to satisfy the terms set by Congress.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Rakshasa’s evil beast fits thematically with the park’s nearby 1976 Demon looping coaster.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
28 May 2025
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Evans gives an oversized comedic performance as the church’s charming but evil minister.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Following his release from prison, Kerik was a vocal critic of the criminal justice system and a staunch ally of Trump.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
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Murrill’s office also invoked the habitual offenders statute, where criminal defendants can be tagged as habitual offenders after a fourth felony charge, according to Louisiana law, and face longer prison sentences.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The sinful acts on display here are a direct result of that disenfranchisement, an effort to reclaim what is still owed, forty acres and a mule, with interest.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
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Pope Gregory, believing these demons to be an indication of Magdalene’s excessively sinful past, identified her as an unnamed woman in Luke who wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There are other objects of worship from the days when Japan’s Christians had to hide from vicious persecution, including a ceramic bottle of holy water from Nakaenoshima, an island where Hidden Christians were martyred in the 1620s.—
Foster Klug,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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Years before the Kendrick Lamar and Drake imbroglio, Pusha T shared his own vicious diss track against the Canadian hip-hop superstar.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
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Along with receiving vulgar comments in person and people taking her picture on campus, the 18-year-old has received vile and sexist messages after her phone number was posted online.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unlawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawful. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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