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 On Thursday, October 8, a judge ruled that the search warrants the Thames Valley Police used to raid Andrew’s homes were unlawful. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2026 Gibson was convicted of unlawful gun possession and misdemeanor resisting arrest for not exiting the elevator, but the jury acquitted him of felony resisting arrest. — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 That conclusion led to Castillo being charged with felony solicitation of a child by computer to commit an unlawful act, officials said. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026 Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to charges including commodities fraud, wire fraud, theft of nonpublic government information, and unlawful use of confidential information for personal gain. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 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
  • The group’s president and CEO, Steve Lamar, said the AAFA is urging stronger action against platforms that enable the trade of dupes and fakes, which can be dangerous to consumers as the illicit goods are produced through unregulated operations.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Both local and federal investigators are investigating the source and supplier of the illicit drugs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 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
  • Spanning multiple decades, the period procedural follows a legendary detective who, alongside his dedicated team, cracks complex criminal cases while chronicling the evolving apparatus of China’s public security forces.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Patterson said on his campaign website his priorities include pushing for local rather than state control, strengthening criminal accountability, securing funding for infrastructure and protecting homeowners from rising property tax rates.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Margaret’s belief that Carrie is inherently evil because her conception wasn’t too far from rape is gone, along with Carrie’s awkwardness and chubbiness (and King’s suggestion that even fat girls can be desirable).
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That isn’t to say that Mark Zuckerberg is less evil than Sam Altman, only that these films — one diagnostic, the other biblical — adopt categorically different perspectives on their subjects, neither one of whom can leave their humanity behind.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 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
  • Experts are voicing concerns over the vicious cycle of rising debt and higher yields.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Verity dwells almost entirely in the gulf between the front-facing celeb being interviewed by Alex Cooper and the vicious private thoughts of her confession.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 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
  • But then came the nightmare of Game 3, one of the Sox’s worst performances in weeks.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, people with worse fever tended to have more of a protein called flagellin in their systems than those with little to no fever.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 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 12 Oct. 2026.

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