unlawful
adjective
un·law·ful
ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl 
1
a
: not lawful : illegal
unlawful actions
b
: acting contrary to or in defiance of the law
an unlawful possessor
2
: not morally right or conventional
Examples of unlawful in a Sentence
The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.
it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits
Recent Examples on the Web
Last Friday, the High Court ruled that the government’s decision to proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation had been unlawful.
—
The Week Uk, TheWeek, 21 Feb. 2026
These new regulations impose the world’s fastest removal deadline, requiring platforms to take down unlawful synthetic media within three hours of notification.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
On Wednesday, a coalition of health and environmental groups sued the EPA over the revocation, calling it unlawful and harmful.
—Dorany Pineda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Supreme Court’s decisive ruling concluded that utilizing the IEEPA for these purposes was unlawful.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlawful
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The Week Uk, TheWeek, 21 Feb. 2026
These new regulations impose the world’s fastest removal deadline, requiring platforms to take down unlawful synthetic media within three hours of notification.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
On Wednesday, a coalition of health and environmental groups sued the EPA over the revocation, calling it unlawful and harmful.
—Dorany Pineda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Supreme Court’s decisive ruling concluded that utilizing the IEEPA for these purposes was unlawful.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlawful
Cite this Entry
“Unlawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unlawful. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unlawful
adjective
un·law·ful
ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl
ˈən-
: not lawful : being against the law : illegal
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