as in illegality
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Recent Examples of unlawfulness
But in a court-martial, a service member who argues that an order is unlawful has the burden of proving its unlawfulness.
—
Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Many people at Harvard and elsewhere feared that the university would reach a deal with the Administration before Judge Burroughs’s decision, because that would have meant that no court would declare the unlawfulness of the Administration’s actions toward academic institutions.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Many people at Harvard and elsewhere feared that the university would reach a deal with the Administration before Judge Burroughs’s decision, because that would have meant that no court would declare the unlawfulness of the Administration’s actions toward academic institutions.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawfulness
Noun
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So do expressions of concern and declarations of illegality by democratic countries.—
Richard Fontaine,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
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These works, among others, challenge visitors to consider how LA and São Paulo have criminalized their most vulnerable citizens but also demonstrate how Brazil’s discourse on social rights and illegality is unique.—
Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At this time there is nothing to suggest any criminality with respect to their venture.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Police are investigating if any criminality was involved.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The child's mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
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On one hand, some argue that Good was attempting to leave the scene, and a trigger-happy ICE agent fired his weapon at her, an abuse of authority.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Later, Venezuelans fled economic chaos and lawlessness under the repressive regimes of Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
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The sight of encampments and people in the throes of psychosis in the streets drives perceptions of lawlessness and danger, studies show.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Years of high inflation and financial mismanagement eroded middle-class wealth, while high-level corruption has empowered a handful of businessmen to enrich themselves.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
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David Bainbridge was the opening witness in what is expected to be a multi-day preliminary hearing that will decide whether Price, 75, should stand trial in a public corruption case.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlawfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawfulness. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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