Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [ih-lee-guh l]
- /ɪˈli gəl/
- /ɪˈliːɡl/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [ih-lee-guh l]
- /ɪˈli gəl/
Definitions of illegal word
- adjective illegal forbidden by law or statute. 1
- adjective illegal contrary to or forbidden by official rules, regulations, etc.: The referee ruled that it was an illegal forward pass. 1
- noun illegal Informal: Disparaging and Offensive. illegal alien. 1
- noun illegal See illegal alien. 1
- noun illegal Contrary to or forbidden by law, esp. criminal law. 1
- adjective illegal against the law 1
Information block about the term
Origin of illegal
First appearance:
before 1620 One of the 42% oldest English words
From the Medieval Latin word illēgālis, dating back to 1620-30. See il-2, legal
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Illegal
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
illegal popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
illegal usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for illegal
adj illegal
- unwarranted — authorization, sanction, or justification.
- wrongful — unjust or unfair: a wrongful act; a wrongful charge.
- irregular — without symmetry, even shape, formal arrangement, etc.: an irregular pattern.
- unauthorized — lacking permission; unsanctioned: unauthorized access.
- banned — to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
adjective illegal
- dishonest — not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief: a dishonest person.
- extralegal — (of an action or situation) beyond the authority of the law; not regulated by the law.
adverb illegal
- off-limits — forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons: The tavern is off-limits to soldiers.
- off limits — forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons: The tavern is off-limits to soldiers.
Antonyms for illegal
adj illegal
- justifiable — capable of being justified; that can be shown to be or can be defended as being just, right, or warranted; defensible: justifiable homicide.
- warranted — authorization, sanction, or justification.
- legal — permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
- authorized — officially permitted or empowered
- permitted — to allow to do something: Permit me to explain.
adjective illegal
- authorised — Alternative spelling of authorized.
- ethical — Of or relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.
Top questions with illegal
- why is mary jane illegal?
- why is weed illegal?
- why are kinder eggs illegal?
- why is marijuana illegal?
- why is moonshine illegal?
- why is prostitution illegal?
- why is collecting rainwater illegal?
- why are cuban cigars illegal?
- what was made illegal in england in 1439?
- how many illegal immigrants are in the us?
- why is it illegal to collect rainwater?
- why is gambling illegal?
- why is polygamy illegal?
- why abortion should be illegal?
- what does illegal mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with i
- Words starting with il
- Words starting with ill
- Words starting with ille
- Words starting with illeg
- Words starting with illega
- Words starting with illegal