illegal
Against the law
Illegal means forbidden by law or rules.
An illegal act violates statute; an illegal move in chess breaks the game's rules.
As a noun, illegal is a clipped form of illegal immigrant or illegal alien—a person residing in a country without legal authorization.
The noun carries derogatory overtones; many style guides discourage it.
Officially not permitted
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- outlawedForbidden by law
- unlicensedWithout official permit
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
unconstitutional · contraband · black-market · under-the-table · clandestine · bootleg · undocumented · unregistered
Illegal transport for profit
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- racketeeringConducting illegal business schemes
counterfeiting · poaching · bribery · extortion · bootlegging · fencing · forgery · kickbacks
Not officially recorded
- deportationLegal expulsion from country
- coyoteWild North American canid
- smugglerIllegal goods transporter
- detentionTemporary official holding
sanctuary · asylum · refugee · checkpoint · ICE · amnesty · naturalization · trafficking
Seize by law
- raidSudden armed incursion
- seizureForcible taking or convulsion
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
crackdown · investigation · warrant · sting · bust · confiscation · forfeiture · surveillance
Acceptable in quality
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- probationSupervised trial period
- deportationLegal expulsion from country
incarceration · restitution · parole · house-arrest · felony · misdemeanor · citation · conviction
prohibited
Officially not permitted
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- outlawedForbidden by law
- unlicensedWithout official permit
unauthorized · unconstitutional · contraband · black-market · under-the-table · clandestine · bootleg · undocumented · unregistered · off-the-books
trafficking
Illegal transport for profit
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
racketeering · counterfeiting · poaching · bribery · extortion · bootlegging · fencing · forgery · kickbacks · price-fixing
undocumented
Not officially recorded
- deportationLegal expulsion from country
- coyoteWild North American canid
- smugglerIllegal goods transporter
detention · sanctuary · asylum · refugee · checkpoint · ICE · amnesty · naturalization · trafficking · stateless
arrest
Seize by law
- raidSudden armed incursion
- seizureForcible taking or convulsion
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
indictment · crackdown · investigation · warrant · sting · bust · confiscation · forfeiture · surveillance · informant
fine
Acceptable in quality
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- probationSupervised trial period
deportation · incarceration · restitution · parole · house-arrest · felony · misdemeanor · citation · conviction · disbarment
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, spying
- Forbiddenforbidden, prohibited, banned, not allowed, off-limits
- No-Gobanned, forbidden, off-limits, outlawed, prohibited
- legality termslawful, unlawful, valid, invalid, binding
- trade statusapproved, authorized, banned, certified, cleared
- legal termstrial, appeal, lawsuit, law, verdict
illegalauthorized
Given official permission
permitted · allowed · sanctioned · licensed · approved
- illegal dumpingUnlawful waste disposal
- illegal drugsOutlawed intoxicating substances
- illegal immigrantForeign national present unlawfully
- illegal fireworksProhibited celebratory pyrotechnics
- illegal immigrationUnlawful entry into nations
- illegal tradeUnlawful commercial exchange
illegally, illegible, illegitimate, illegality, illegitimacy, illegals, illegitimately, illegibly, illegalize