as in illegality
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Recent Examples of unlawfulness
But in a court-martial, a service member who argues that an order is unlawful has the burden of proving its unlawfulness.
—
Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Many people at Harvard and elsewhere feared that the university would reach a deal with the Administration before Judge Burroughs’s decision, because that would have meant that no court would declare the unlawfulness of the Administration’s actions toward academic institutions.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Many people at Harvard and elsewhere feared that the university would reach a deal with the Administration before Judge Burroughs’s decision, because that would have meant that no court would declare the unlawfulness of the Administration’s actions toward academic institutions.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawfulness
Noun
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Speaking out in that way is not illegality.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Jan. 2026
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Many of the administration’s actions rely on broad claims of illegality without providing specific violations.—
Spencer Overton,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Brain imaging studies of criminality going back to 2009 have suggested that damage to a swath of white matter called the right uncinate fasciculus is somehow involved when people commit violent acts.—
Christopher M. Filley,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
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The government, along with much of purple and red America, pound the message that ICE in Minnesota is all about state corruption and criminality.—
Ed Bok Lee,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Thousands of immigrants are currently being detained in large detention centers where detainees, lawyers and activists have alleged abuse and poor conditions.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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Sappenfield was permanently banned by the United States Center for SafeSport in May 2024 for physical and emotional misconduct, retaliation, abuse of process, and failure to report a potential SafeSport violation.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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One judge recently suggested that ICE was developing a troubling culture of lawlessness, while experts have questioned whether job applicants are getting enough vetting and training.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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And yet, chaos and lawlessness are not granularly directed.—
Ernesto Burden,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Advertisement Both Paxton’s baggage and his history of using his office to troll Democrats is a central feature in the Republican primary, which has devolved into a barrage of personal attacks of betrayal, adultery, and corruption.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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Nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was up one point at 36 after an energy sector corruption scandal forced high-level resignations.—
Geir Moulson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlawfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawfulness. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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