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unlawful

adjective

ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl How to pronounce unlawful (audio)
Definition of unlawfulnext
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

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.
Recent Examples of unlawful All federal criminal statutes imposing additional charges or penalties for the unlawful possession of a firearm remain in place and will continue to be enforced by federal law enforcement. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The unlawful act in this context usually means a driving infraction and not impaired driving. — David Taub, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026 After a 2018 raid at a Tennessee meatpacking plant, detained workers alleging racial profiling, excessive force and unlawful arrest – some under the FTCA – settled with the government for more than $1 million, the workers’ attorneys said. — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026 Squirewell is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, officials said. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unlawful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawful
  1. illicit
  2. immoral
  3. criminal
  4. evil
  5. sinful
  6. vicious
  7. vile
  8. bad
Adjective
  • China has strengthened its seed protection laws several times in the last few years; similarly, Japan passed new legislation in July to prevent the illicit export of homegrown varieties.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • According to the manufacturer, the system is designed to deactivate organic medications including opioids, most illicit drugs and vape fluid in different forms like pills, liquid and patches.
    — Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • Some sources expand on the account in Genesis, suggesting the Sodomites were not only immoral but positively antimoral.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • What’s so immoral about a goal scored accidentally with a hand or arm anyway?
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • Both raised concerns about the 2024 version, telling state lawmakers that the universities could face criminal penalties, civil fines or the loss of federal contracts.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • To spoil more of the joke’s punch lines would be criminal, but rest assured her son eventually confronts her about it.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • The correspondence helped convince Anders, who fled the Nazis for American exile in 1936, that different kinds of evil cause different kinds of harm.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The destination of our hapless hero, a courier (Austin Abrams, absolutely awesome) who must transport an important package between medical facilities, is indeed the game’s residentially evil homebase of Racoon City.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Judaism teaches that human beings are not inherently sinful, destructive or a detriment to the world.
    — Meir Moscowitz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • My prescribed low-carb, caffeine-free diet sounded horrifying on paper, but my sinful pleasures were replaced with a tasty, high-quality, and healthy alternative that left me more energized.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
Definition of sinful
Adjective
  • His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The strikes were often most vicious in the far north of Yemen, a rebel stronghold and the region where the Houthi movement had been founded, in the nineteen-nineties.
    — Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • The win of the vile film NZA [sic] at the Venice Festival is shocking.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Kiju looked at me, took my hand, and walked around the woman and out into the night air as those inside gasped and moved to help the vile woman.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of vile
Adjective
  • The term, once confined to technical science papers, has gripped Silicon Valley, steered trillions of dollars in investment and fanned fears of human displacement, or worse.
    — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That’s cool that people (liked it), but that’s bad ball security.
    — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bad

Browse Nearby Words

unlatching
unlawful
unlawfulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unlawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawful. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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