Unlawful vs. Illegal — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Unlawful and Illegal
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Definitions
Unlawful
Not lawful; illegal.
Illegal
Prohibited by law.
Unlawful
Contrary to accepted morality or convention; illicit.
Illegal
Prohibited by official rules
An illegal pass in football.
Unlawful
(legal) Prohibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
He was charged with unlawful use of a car.
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Illegal
Unacceptable to or not performable by a computer
An illegal operation.
Unlawful
Not lawful; contrary to law.
Illegal
A person who is not legally authorized to live and work in a country.
Unlawful
Not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention;
An unconventional marriage
Improper banking practices
Illegal
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 pollution
Their 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.
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Unlawful
Contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law;
Unlawful measures
Unlawful money
Unlawful hunters
Illegal
Breaching certain enacted statutes of positive law; not lawful, not legal (cf. immoral, unethical)
Unlawful
Not morally right or permissible;
Unlawful love
Illegal
Forbidden by established rules.
Moving a pawn backward is an illegal move in chess.
Unlawful
Having no legally established claim;
The wrongful heir to the throne
Illegal
Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
Unlawful
Contrary to or forbidden by law;
An illegitimate seizure of power
Illicit trade
An outlaw strike
Unlawful measures
Illegal
Being or doing something illegally.
Illegal immigrant
Illegal logger
Illegal pilot
Illegal
Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.
Illegal
(obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
Illegal
Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
Illegal
An illegal immigrant.
Illegal
(espionage) A spy working abroad illegally and undercover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
Illegal
Not according to, or authorized by, law; specif., contrary to, or in violation of, human law; unlawful; illicit; hence, immoral; as, an illegal act; illegal trade; illegal love.
Illegal
Prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules;
An illegal chess move
