Synonyms of unlawful
9 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for unlawful is criminal. Other synonyms of unlawful are illegal, outlawed, illegitimate, wrongful and illicit. The opposite of unlawful is lawful.
Synonyms and similar words for unlawful
adjectiveProhibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
- illegalContrary to, forbidden, or not authorized by law, especially criminal law.
- wrongfulUnlawful or illegal.
- crimefulCriminal; wicked; illegal.
- criminalAgainst the law; forbidden by law.
- illegitimateNot in accordance with the law.
- illicitUnlawful.
- lawbreakingUnlawful; illegal.
- nonlawfulNot lawful; unlawful.
- outlawedPut beyond the limits of the law, forbidden, against the law.
Opposite of unlawful
adjectiveMore antonyms
- lawfulConforming to, or recognised by the laws of society.
Meaning of unlawful
- adjective Prohibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
unlawful in other languages
Questions about synonyms of unlawful
- What is another word for unlawful?
- Unlawful has 9 synonyms on Word.ws, such as criminal, illegal, outlawed, illegitimate, wrongful, illicit, lawbreaking and crimeful.
- What is the opposite of unlawful?
- The opposite of unlawful is lawful.
- What does unlawful mean?
- Unlawful means prohibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: unlawful (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this page: “Synonyms of unlawful.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/unlawful. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.