- unlawful
- adjective Date: 14th century 1. not lawful ; illegal 2. not morally right or conventional • unlawfully adverb • unlawfulness noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
unlawful
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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
unlawful — UK US /ʌnˈlɔːfəl/ adjective LAW ► not allowed by law: »unlawful activity/conduct be unlawful for sb/sth to do sth »It is unlawful for any investment adviser to engage in fraudulent or manipulative practices. unlawfully /ʌnˈlɔːfəli/ US / ˈlɑː /… … Financial and business terms
unlawful — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not conforming to or permitted by law or rules. DERIVATIVES unlawfully adverb unlawfulness noun. USAGE The adjectives unlawful and illegal can both mean ‘contrary to or forbidden by law’, but unlawful has a broader meaning ‘not… … English terms dictionary
Unlawful — Un*law ful, a. Not lawful; contrary to law. {Un*law ful*ly}, adv. {Un*law ful*ness}, n. [1913 Webster] {Unlawful assembly}. (Law) See under {Assembly}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
unlawful — c.1300, from UN (Cf. un ) (1) not + LAWFUL (Cf. lawful). Unlawful assembly is recorded in statutes from late 15c … Etymology dictionary
unlawful — unlawful, illegal, illegitimate, illicit are comparable when they mean contrary to, prohibited by, or not in accordance with law or the law. Otherwise than this negation in character, the words in general carry the same differences in… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
unlawful — [adj] against the law actionable, banned, bootleg*, criminal, flagitious, forbidden, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, improper, iniquitous, lawless, nefarious, outlawed, prohibited, taboo, unauthorized, under the counter*, unlicensed, wrongful;… … New thesaurus
unlawful — [unlô′fəl] adj. 1. against the law; illegal 2. against moral or ethical standards; immoral unlawfully adv. unlawfulness n … English World dictionary
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
unlawful — adj. unlawful to + inf. (it s unlawful to drive without a license) * * * [ʌn lɔːf(ə)l] unlawful to + inf. (it s unlawful to drive without a license) … Combinatory dictionary
unlawful — un|law|ful [ ʌn lɔfl ] adjective LEGAL something that is unlawful is illegal, especially something that would be considered legal in a different situation: unlawful imprisonment The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. ╾ un|law|ful|ly… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
