unlawfulness

IPA/ʌnlˈɔːfəlnəs/
IPA/ʌnlˈɔːfəlnəs/

unlawfulness — noun

1. the state or quality of not being allowed by law, especially when a court or off

1.nounC1
Definition

the state or quality of not being allowed by law, especially when a court or official body can judge an action to have broken legal rules.

Example

The court examined the unlawfulness of the police search before ruling on the appeal.

collocation: the unlawfulness of + noun phrase

Mina's lawyer argued that the unlawfulness of the detention made the confession unusable.

legal pattern: argue the unlawfulness of an action

Common collocations
  • the unlawfulness of
  • challenge the unlawfulness of
  • argue the unlawfulness of
  • examine the unlawfulness of
  • deny the unlawfulness of
Synonyms
  • illegality

    more common in everyday and journalistic writing

  • wrongfulness

    broader; can include legal or moral wrongness

  • invalidity

    used when a document, rule, or decision has no legal force

Antonyms
  • lawfulness

    direct opposite; the state of being permitted by law

  • legality

    the usual everyday noun for being legal

Grammar Patterns

the unlawfulness of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and followed by 'of' plus the act, policy, order, or decision being judged. It is a formal legal noun; in everyday speech, 'illegality' is more common.

Common Mistakes

He was punished for an unlawfulness.
He was punished for an unlawful act.
'unlawfulness' is normally uncountable and names the legal quality, not a single offence.
The unlawfulness parked outside.
The illegally parked car was outside.
use 'unlawfulness' for the abstract legal status of an act, not for people or objects.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These nouns all point to a problem with rules, but they are used in different settings. 'Unlawfulness' is formal and legal: it asks whether an act, order, search, detention, or policy fails to conform to law. 'Illegality' is the more common everyday noun for the same basic idea. 'Wrongfulness' can be legal or moral, so it is wider and less precise. 'Invalidity' is narrower: it usually means that a document, decision, or legal act has no force because it does not meet required rules.

unlawfulness ↗illegality ↗wrongfulnessinvalidity ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • challenge the unlawfulness of
  • argue the unlawfulness of
  • examine the unlawfulness of
  • deny the unlawfulness of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'unlawful' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. The base 'lawful' comes from 'law' plus '-ful', while the prefix 'un-' gives the opposite meaning. The whole word therefore names the state or quality of being not lawful.