unlawful

/ʌnˈlɔːfl/ (bre, ipa) · /ʌnˈlɔːfl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl/ (ame, mw)

unlawful — adjective

  • unlawfulpositive
  • more unlawfulcomparative
  • most unlawfulsuperlative

1. Describes an action, activity, or situation that goes against the rules of a cou

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Describes an action, activity, or situation that goes against the rules of a country's legal system and can therefore lead to punishment by the authorities.

例句

The court ruled that the company's hiring practices were unlawful.

predicative use: ruled that...were unlawful

Judge Adina ruled that the landlord's refusal to rent to Mateo was unlawful discrimination.

attributive use: unlawful discrimination

同義詞
  • illegal

    the most common everyday word; 'unlawful' sounds more formal and is used more in legal writing

  • prohibited

    emphasises that a rule or law has explicitly banned something

  • criminal

    stronger term used for serious offences that carry criminal punishment

  • banned

    suggests an active decision to forbid something by law or authority

反義詞
  • lawful

    the direct opposite; means permitted by law

  • legal

    more common in everyday speech than 'lawful'

文法句型

unlawful + noun

be + unlawful

it is unlawful to + infinitive

declare/rule/deem something + unlawful

用法筆記

Common in legal documents, court rulings, and formal news reporting. 'Unlawful' is close in meaning to 'illegal', but 'unlawful' is preferred in official legal language, while 'illegal' is more frequent in everyday speech. Minor rule violations such as parking offences are rarely described as 'unlawful'.

常見錯誤

❌He was fined for unlawful parking.
✅He was fined for illegal parking.
💡'unlawful' sounds overly formal and legalistic for minor everyday violations; use 'illegal' instead.
❌The company's unlawful actions were just a mistake.
✅The company's actions were against the law.
💡'unlawful' implies a clear legal violation, not an accidental or minor error.

2. Describes actions that go against widely accepted moral standards, even when no

2.形容詞C1
釋義

Describes actions that go against widely accepted moral standards, even when no specific law has been broken — for instance, paying workers unfairly low wages while staying within the legal minimum.

例句

Human rights groups called the use of child workers at a Bangladesh textile factory morally unlawful.

morally unlawful — extends beyond legal meaning

The union said a hotel chain's hidden cameras in staff break rooms were morally unlawful.

union said + something was morally unlawful

同義詞
  • immoral

    a more direct and stronger word for something that goes against moral principles

  • unethical

    commonly used in professional or business contexts to describe improper conduct

  • wrong

    a simpler, everyday word that is less formal and less specific

反義詞
  • moral

    describes behaviour that follows accepted principles of right and wrong

  • ethical

    describes conduct that meets professional or societal standards of right behaviour

文法句型

be + (morally) unlawful

consider/deem something + (morally) unlawful

用法筆記

This sense is almost always accompanied by 'morally' or another word that signals a non-legal meaning. Without such a modifier, readers will interpret 'unlawful' in its legal sense. This moral usage appears mainly in philosophical writing, opinion pieces, and ethical debates.

常見錯誤

❌The contract is unlawful because it is unfair.
✅The contract is illegal because it breaks the law.
💡If a law has actually been broken, use the legal sense of 'unlawful' or 'illegal'; do not use the moral sense.
❌His behaviour at the party was unlawful.
✅His behaviour at the party was morally unacceptable.
💡Without 'morally', the word is understood as meaning against the law, which sounds too strong for social misconduct.