illegally

illegally — adverb

1. done in a manner that breaks the law applying to that specific action — for exam

1.adverbB2
Definition

done in a manner that breaks the law applying to that specific action — for example, parking where signs say no, copying a DVD without paying for it, or entering a country without permission from its government.

Example

Kasia illegally parked her scooter in front of the fire station and got a ticket.

collocation: illegally parked

A small firm illegally copied code from a rival and sold it as its own.

collocation: illegally copied

Common collocations
  • illegally park
  • illegally enter
  • illegally download
  • illegally copy
  • illegally dump
  • illegally hire
  • illegally trade
  • illegally possess
Synonyms
  • unlawfully

    more formal and common in legal documents or court language

  • illicitly

    used especially for secret or forbidden trade, drugs, or relationships

  • criminally

    stronger connotation — implies the action is a crime, not just a civil offence

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

illegally + verb

verb + illegally

Usage Note

Commonly modifies verbs for regulated actions: park, enter, copy, download, dump, hire, trade, possess. The word describes the way an action is done, not the person doing it — so while someone can park illegally, it sounds unnatural to say they are an 'illegal parker'.

Common Mistakes

He did something illegally.
He parked illegally.
'illegally' needs a specific action verb, not the general verb 'do'.
She is an illegally driver.
She was driving illegally.
'illegally' is an adverb, not an adjective; it cannot modify a noun.

Word family

  • illegal
    adjectiveB1
  • illegality
    nounC1
  • legal
    adjectiveA2
  • legally
    adverbB2
  • legalize
    verbB2
  • legalization
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four adverbs describe actions that break rules, but their scope and seriousness differ. Illegally is the broadest, everyday term for any act that violates a law — parking, downloading, entering a country. Unlawfully carries a more formal, legal tone; judges and police reports say someone was 'unlawfully detained' rather than 'illegally detained'. Illicitly is narrower and suggests secrecy or moral disapproval: used for drug trades, smuggling, or secret relationships. Criminally is the strongest word — it implies the action is a crime (theft, assault, fraud), not just a civil or regulatory violation. For a parking ticket you'd say illegally parked; for breaking into a house you'd say criminally entered.

illegally ↗unlawfullyillicitlycriminally

Common collocations

Phrases

  • in violation of the law
  • without legal authorization
  • contrary to the law

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Illegally is formed from illegal (Latin in- 'not' + legalis 'of the law') plus the adverb suffix -ly. The word entered English through French in the mid-1600s, originally used in legal writing before spreading to everyday contexts.