Illegal vs. Unlawful
Difference Between Illegal and Unlawful
Illegaladjective
Prohibited by law.
Unlawfuladjective
Not lawful; illegal.
Illegaladjective
Prohibited by official rules
an illegal pass in football.Unlawfuladjective
Contrary to accepted morality or convention; illicit.
Illegaladjective
Unacceptable to or not performable by a computer
an illegal operation.Unlawfuladjective
Prohibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
He was charged with unlawful use of a car.Illegalnoun
A person who is not legally authorized to live and work in a country.
Unlawfuladjective
not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention;
an unconventional marriageimproper banking practicesIllegaladjective
Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
This is illegal, you know!Nearly 40 million people live in UK areas with illegal air pollutiontheir illegal mining operations in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, are protected by officials and police paid to look the other way – and powerful customers in the construction industry who prefer not to ask too many questions.Unlawfuladjective
contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law;
unlawful measuresunlawful moneyunlawful huntersIllegaladjective
Forbidden by established rules.
Moving a pawn backward is an illegal move in chess.Unlawfuladjective
not morally right or permissible;
unlawful loveIllegaladjective
Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
Unlawfuladjective
having no legally established claim;
the wrongful heir to the throneIllegaladjective
Being or doing something illegally.
illegal immigrant;illegal logger;illegal pilotUnlawfuladjective
contrary to or forbidden by law;
an illegitimate seizure of powerillicit tradean outlaw strikeunlawful measuresIllegaladjective
Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.
Illegalnoun
(obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
Illegalnoun
Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
Illegalnoun
An illegal immigrant.
Illegalnoun
(espionage) A spy working abroad illegally and undercover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
Illegaladjective
prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules;
an illegal chess move
