illegal, unlawful

illegal, unlawful
These words mean "contrary to statutes and regulations," "not legal." Illegal is restricted to these meanings, but unlawful, a more general term, is also applied to acts that are not only against the law but generally unauthorized or unacceptable. That is, something unlawful may go against not only the law but also moral standards; a synonym for unlawful is illicit. For example, gambling is not illegal in some states, but in every state some persons consider it unlawful. An unlawful act may or may not be illegal, but it is always "not approved," "not sanctioned." See also illicit.

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • illegal — *unlawful, illegitimate, illicit Antonyms: legal Contrasted words: *lawful, legitimate, licit …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • illegal — illegally, adv. /i lee geuhl/, adj. 1. forbidden by law or statute. 2. contrary to or forbidden by official rules, regulations, etc.: The referee ruled that it was an illegal forward pass. n. 3. Informal. See illegal alien. [1620 30; < ML… …   Universalium

  • illegal — il•le•gal [[t]ɪˈli gəl[/t]] adj. 1) law forbidden by law or statute 2) spo contrary to or forbidden by official rules or regulations 3) cvb an illegal immigrant • Etymology: 1620–30; < ML il•le′gal•ly, adv. syn: illegal, unlawful, illicit,… …   From formal English to slang

  • unlawful — That which is contrary to, prohibited, or unauthorized by law. That which is not lawful. The acting contrary to, or in defiance of the law; disobeying or disregarding the law. Term is equivalent to without excuse or justification. State v. Noble …   Black's law dictionary

  • illegal adj — What s the difference between unlawful and illegal? Unlawful is against the law; illegal is a sick bird …   English expressions

  • unlawful — See illegal. See illegal, unlawful …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • illegal — See illegal, unlawful …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • unlawful — un·law·ful adj 1: not lawful: not authorized or justified by law 2: acting contrary to or in defiance of the law an unlawful possessor un·law·ful·ly adv un·law·ful·ness n Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law …   Law dictionary

  • illegal — il·le·gal /il lē gəl/ adj: contrary to or in violation of a law: illicit unlawful an illegal contract il·le·gal·ly adv Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • Illegal entry — is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law.Migrants from nations that do not have automatic visa agreements, or who would not otherwise qualify for a visa, often cross… …   Wikipedia

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