illegal

noun

(colloquial, in the plural, as illegals) Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.

(colloquial, offensive) An illegal immigrant.

(espionage) A spy operating abroad illegally and under non-official cover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.

(obsolete) An illegal act or technique.

adjective

Contrary to, forbidden, or not authorized by law, especially criminal law.

(chiefly US, sometimes offensive) Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.

Forbidden by established rules.

(of a person, sometimes offensive) Being or doing something illegally.

(philately, of an issue printed for collectors) Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.

Roots

inil- · Latin · not lex-leg · Latin · law

Synonyms for illegal

unlawfuladj illicitadj outlawedadj unauthorizedadj prohibitedadj illegitimateadj contrabandadj nonlegaladj wrongfuladj bannedadj impermissibleadj interdictedn lawlessadj unlicensedadj

Synonyms & related words for illegal

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of illegal — including unlawful, illicit, outlawed, unauthorized, prohibited, illegitimate. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to illegal

Explore words related to illegal — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include illegalize, illegally, illegality, illicitly, illicitness, extralegal, lawlessly, unlawfully. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for illegal

Common synonyms for illegal include unlawful, illicit, outlawed, unauthorized, prohibited, illegitimate, contraband, nonlegal — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does illegal come from?

The word illegal breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: il-, from Latin in (“not”); and -leg, from Latin lex (“law”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.