illegal
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
illegal
- /ɪˈliːɡəl/ UK
- /ɪˈli.ɡəl/ US
- [ɪɫˈli.ɡəɫ] US
Rhymes with -iːɡəl
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French illégal, from Medieval Latin illegalis, from Latin legalis, by surface analysis, il- + legal. In senses relating to immigration, via clipping of illegal alien or illegal immigrant.
adjective more illegal · illegaler · most illegal · illegalest
-
Contrary to, forbidden, or not authorized by law, especially criminal law.
This is illegal, you know!
Similar: criminal, felonious, illicit, irregular, crimeful, illegal, illegitimate, lawbreaking, nonlawful, outlawed, unlawful, wrongful · Opposite: lawful, legal, de jure, legitimate, licit, rightful
-
Forbidden by established rules.
Moving a pawn backward is an illegal move in chess.
Similar: banned, disallowed, forbidden, impermissible, illegal, illicit, interdicted, nonallowed, nonlicet, prohibited, proscribed, proscript
-
Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
Similar: bogus
- Being or doing something illegally. illegal immigrant
-
Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.
Similar: undocumented
noun illegals
- An illegal act or technique. That whatſoever illegals hath been uſed againſt his friends and ſubjects, by impriſoning them without law, or impoſing fines upon their eſtates, be diſclaimed, and that perſons ſo committed be forthwith diſcharged.
- Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs. …I've got illegals in my bottom…!
-
Ellipsis of illegal immigrant
In Manchester and in Aldershot in Hampshire, asylum seeker accommodation was targeted by demonstrators carrying placards that read “deport them, don’t support them” and “no apartments for illegals”.
Similar: crimmigrant
- A spy operating abroad illegally and under non-official cover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities. Anna Chapman, whose glamorous appearance won her more publicity in the Western media than all the other illegals combined, was so successfully deceived by a US sting operation that she handed over her SVR laptop to an FBI agent posing as a Russian.
Similar: illegal immigrant
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: outlawed, ill-gotten, unlawful, criminal, illicit, extrajudicial, extralegal, outlaw, illegitimate, felonious, misbranded, under-the-counter, prohibited, banned, penal, ineligible
noun
Similar: illegal immigrant
Translations
Every language
adj contrary to or forbidden by law
| Español | ilegal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 불법적인 bulbeopjeog-in |
| 日本語 | 不法の fuhō no, 違法の ihō no |
| 中文 | 非法的 fēifǎ de, 不合法的 bùhéfǎ de, 不法的 bùfǎ de |
| हिन्दी | अवैध avaidh, ग़ैरक़ानूनी ġairqānūnī, ख़िलाफ़क़ानून xilāfqānūn |
| Kiswahili | haramu |
| Português | ilegal |
| Français | illégal |
| Deutsch | illegal, rechtswidrig |
| Italiano | illegale |
| Ελληνικά | παράνομος paránomos, έκνομος éknomos, άνομος ánomos |
| Română | ilegal, nelegal |
| Русский | незако́нный nezakónnyj, нелега́льный nelegálʹnyj, неправоме́рный nepravomérnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | bất hợp pháp, trái phép |
| العربية | غَيْر قَانُونِيٍّ ḡayr qānūniyyin |
| עברית | בלתי חוקי biltí khukí |
adj prohibited by established rules
| Español | ilegal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 반칙의 banchigui |
| 日本語 | 違法の ihō no |
| 中文 | 禁止的 jǐnzhǐ de |
| Kiswahili | haramu |
| Português | ilegal, proibido |
| Français | interdit, défendu |
| Deutsch | illegal |
| Ελληνικά | παράνομος paránomos, απαγορευμένος apagorevménos |
| Română | ilegal |
| Русский | непра́вильный neprávilʹnyj, неве́рный nevérnyj |
| עברית | אָסוּר asúr |
noun undercover spy
| Español | espía encubierto, topo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 卧底 wòdǐ |
| Français | espion infiltré, agent clandestin |
| Русский | нелега́л nelegál |
Talk about this word "illegal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/illegal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. illegal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/illegal "illegal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/illegal.Cite this
@misc{illegal_2026,
title = {illegal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/illegal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
