English Online Dictionary. What means illegal? What does illegal mean?
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French illégal, from Medieval Latin illegalis, from Latin legalis, by surface analysis, il- + legal. In senses relating to immigration, via clipping from illegal alien or illegal immigrant.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ɪˈliːɡəl/
- (US) enPR: ĭ.lē'gəl, IPA(key): /ɪˈli.ɡəl/, [ɪɫˈli.ɡəɫ]
- Rhymes: -iːɡəl
- Hyphenation: il‧le‧gal
Adjective
illegal (comparative more illegal, superlative most illegal)
- Not authorized by law.
- Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
- Breaching certain enacted statutes of positive law; not lawful, not legal (cf. immoral, unethical)
- Forbidden by established rules.
- Synonym: unethical
- (philately, of an issue printed for collectors) Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
- (of a person, sometimes offensive) Being or doing something illegally.
- (chiefly US, sometimes offensive) Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.
- (computing) Describing a programming operation that is not allowed by the operating system.
Usage notes
According to Black's Law Dictionary (2nd edition), "illegal" may mean only that something lacks authority of the law or support from law (that is, that it's not legal), not that it's against the law, but that in ordinary usage it means a violation of the law. The "law" however may be a common-law principle rather than a statute.
The use of "illegal" to describe a person rather than an action is often regarded as offensive; see below.
Synonyms
- (forbidden by law): criminal, felonious, illicit, unlawful, irregular
- (totally fictitious): bogus
- (being an illegal immigrant): undocumented
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “forbidden by law”): lawful, legal
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
illegal (plural illegals)
- (obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
- (colloquial, in the plural, as illegals) Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
- (colloquial, offensive) An illegal immigrant.
- (espionage) A spy operating abroad illegally and under non-official cover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
Usage notes
- The use of "illegal" to describe a person, rather than an action a person has undertaken, is regarded by some as offensive. The use of "illegal" as a noun is especially charged.
Synonyms
- (illegal immigrant) crimmigrant, illegal immigrant
Translations
References
Anagrams
- gill-ale
Asturian
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin illēgālis, from Latin lēgālis corresponding to i- + llegal.
Adjective
illegal (epicene, plural illegales)
- illegal
Antonyms
- llegal
Danish
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin illegalis.
Adjective
illegal
- illegal
Inflection
Synonyms
- ulovlig, forbudt
German
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin illegalis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɪleɡaːl/
Adjective
illegal (strong nominative masculine singular illegaler, not comparable)
- illegal
- Synonyms: gesetzwidrig, strafbar, ungesetzlich
Declension
Derived terms
- Illegaler (“illegal / illegal immigrant”), Illegale (“illegal / illegal immigrant (female)”)
- Illegalität
Further reading
- “illegal” in Duden online
- “illegal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Occitan
Pronunciation
Adjective
illegal m (feminine singular illegala, masculine plural illegals, feminine plural illegalas)
- illegal
- Antonym: legal
Derived terms
- illegalament
- illegalizar
Portuguese
Adjective
illegal m or f (plural illegaes)
- Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of ilegal.
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from French illégal, from Medieval Latin illēgālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
illegal (comparative mer illegal, superlative mest illegal)
- illegal
- Synonym: olaglig
- Antonym: legal
Declension
Related terms
- illegalitet
See also
- olovlig
- illegitim
Further reading
- illegal in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- illegal in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- illegal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)