1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

illegal

adjective

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈlē-gəl How to pronounce illegal (audio)
Definition of illegalnext
1
as in unlawful
contrary to or forbidden by law it is illegal to import those birds into this country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foul
not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport an illegal pass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegal
  1. unlawful
  2. foul
  3. illicit
  4. unfair
  5. criminal
  6. nasty
Adjective
  • He is charged with official misconduct in the first degree, which is punishable by up to 12 months behind bars, if convicted, and unlawful access to a computer in the fourth degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 90 days.
    — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unlawful
Adjective
  • Both banged off the Tropicana Field catwalk in foul territory, nullifying the catch made on both of them.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Peter remembers chicken wings, the foul Lower Manhattan air, and buying an industrial respirator at a hardware store.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • In Virginia’s Franklin County, Henry Law made the switch from illicit moonshine production to commercial sales.
    — Cole Reynolds, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Johnny’s undercover mission leads to an unexpected bromance as he gets drawn into his target’s world of illicit thrills.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • All this is very unfair for players and general public in attendance.
    — Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Her guidance prompted a series of unfair labor practice charges, including those involving USC and UCLA football and basketball players, as well as a unionization campaign by Dartmouth’s men’s basketball players.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfair
Adjective
  • Initially arrested and charged in connection with Houston’s death in fall 2025, Franklin has also been charged in two additional criminal incidents.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The probe echoes investigations into the deaths of actor Matthew Perry and rapper Mac Miller, both of which resulted in criminal charges for their respective drug suppliers.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • And then on Sunday, next to Granada’s imposing Alhambra fortress, Kuss — providing there are no nasty surprises — will complete his third Grand Tour in a row.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In his nasty hands, every canvas was an indictment, a history painting with its gloves off.
    — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of nasty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ill-bred
illegal
illegalities
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illegal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegal. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All