unlawful

unlawful — adjective

1. Describes an action, activity, or situation that goes against the rules of a cou

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Describes an action, activity, or situation that goes against the rules of a country's legal system and can therefore lead to punishment by the authorities.

Example

The court ruled that the company's hiring practices were unlawful.

predicative use: ruled that...were unlawful

Judge Adina ruled that the landlord's refusal to rent to Mateo was unlawful discrimination.

attributive use: unlawful discrimination

Common collocations
  • unlawful killing
  • unlawful discrimination
  • unlawful assembly
  • unlawful search
  • unlawful detention
  • unlawful entry
Synonyms
  • illegal

    the most common everyday word; 'unlawful' sounds more formal and is used more in legal writing

  • prohibited

    emphasises that a rule or law has explicitly banned something

  • criminal

    stronger term used for serious offences that carry criminal punishment

  • banned

    suggests an active decision to forbid something by law or authority

Antonyms
  • lawful

    the direct opposite; means permitted by law

  • legal

    more common in everyday speech than 'lawful'

Grammar Patterns

unlawful + noun

be + unlawful

it is unlawful to + infinitive

declare/rule/deem something + unlawful

Usage Note

Common in legal documents, court rulings, and formal news reporting. 'Unlawful' is close in meaning to 'illegal', but 'unlawful' is preferred in official legal language, while 'illegal' is more frequent in everyday speech. Minor rule violations such as parking offences are rarely described as 'unlawful'.

Common Mistakes

He was fined for unlawful parking.
He was fined for illegal parking.
'unlawful' sounds overly formal and legalistic for minor everyday violations; use 'illegal' instead.
The company's unlawful actions were just a mistake.
The company's actions were against the law.
'unlawful' implies a clear legal violation, not an accidental or minor error.

2. Describes actions that go against widely accepted moral standards, even when no

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

Describes actions that go against widely accepted moral standards, even when no specific law has been broken — for instance, paying workers unfairly low wages while staying within the legal minimum.

Example

Human rights groups called the use of child workers at a Bangladesh textile factory morally unlawful.

morally unlawful — extends beyond legal meaning

The union said a hotel chain's hidden cameras in staff break rooms were morally unlawful.

union said + something was morally unlawful

Common collocations
  • morally unlawful
  • ethically unlawful
  • deem something unlawful
Synonyms
  • immoral

    a more direct and stronger word for something that goes against moral principles

  • unethical

    commonly used in professional or business contexts to describe improper conduct

  • wrong

    a simpler, everyday word that is less formal and less specific

Antonyms
  • moral

    describes behaviour that follows accepted principles of right and wrong

  • ethical

    describes conduct that meets professional or societal standards of right behaviour

Grammar Patterns

be + (morally) unlawful

consider/deem something + (morally) unlawful

Usage Note

This sense is almost always accompanied by 'morally' or another word that signals a non-legal meaning. Without such a modifier, readers will interpret 'unlawful' in its legal sense. This moral usage appears mainly in philosophical writing, opinion pieces, and ethical debates.

Common Mistakes

The contract is unlawful because it is unfair.
The contract is illegal because it breaks the law.
If a law has actually been broken, use the legal sense of 'unlawful' or 'illegal'; do not use the moral sense.
His behaviour at the party was unlawful.
His behaviour at the party was morally unacceptable.
Without 'morally', the word is understood as meaning against the law, which sounds too strong for social misconduct.

Word family

  • unlawfully
    adverbB2
  • lawful
    adjectiveB2
  • lawfully
    adverbB2
  • unlawfulness
    nounC1
  • law
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These five words all describe something that goes against rules or laws, but they differ in tone and use. 'Illegal' is the most general and frequent word in everyday English — use it for any act that breaks a law, from parking tickets to serious crimes. 'Unlawful' is more formal and is the preferred term in legal documents, court rulings, and official writing; it also has a secondary moral meaning that 'illegal' lacks. 'Illicit' usually describes things done secretly because they are socially or legally forbidden, such as illicit drugs, illicit trade, or an illicit relationship. 'Criminal' refers specifically to acts that are serious enough to be punished by the state, like theft or assault. 'Prohibited' suggests an explicit rule or order that bans something, whether by law, an institution, or an authority. For example, smoking is prohibited in hospitals (by rule), selling drugs is illegal (by law), and an unlawful search is one that violates legal procedure.

illegal ↗unlawful ↗illicitcriminal ↗prohibited

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • declare something unlawful
  • rule something unlawful
  • deem something unlawful

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'unlawful' is formed by adding the Old English prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') to 'lawful', which itself comes from 'law' + the suffix '-ful'. 'Law' traces back to Old English 'lagu', borrowed from Old Norse 'lag' ('something laid down or fixed'). The word has been used in English since around the 13th century, originally with the straightforward meaning 'not permitted by law'. Over time, it developed an additional moral sense extending beyond strictly legal matters.