illegal

See also illégal, and il·legal

English

Etymology

From il- (an assimilated version of in-) + legal. In senses relating to immigration, via clipping from illegal alien or illegal immigrant.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĭ.lēʹgl
• Rhymes: -iːɡəl

Adjective

illegal (comparative more illegal, superlative most illegal)

1. (law) Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
2. Forbidden by established rules

   Moving a pawn backward is an illegal move in chess.

3. (philately, of an issue printed for collectors) Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
4. (of an immigrant) Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.

Synonyms

• (forbidden by law): criminal, felonious, illicit, unlawful
• (totally fictitious): bogus

Antonyms

• (forbidden by law): lawful, legal

Derived terms

• illegal alien
• illegal immigrant

Translations

contrary to or forbidden by law

• Asturian: illegal (ast)
• Catalan: il·legal (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非法的 (cmn) (fēifǎ de), 不合法的 (cmn) (bùhéfǎ de), 不法的 (cmn) (bùfǎ de)

• Czech: ilegální (cs)
• Dutch: strafbaar (nl), illegaal (nl), onwettig (nl)
• Finnish: laiton (fi)
• French: illégal (fr)
• Galician: ilícito (gl)
• German: illegal (de), rechtswidrig (de)
• Greek: παράνομος (el) (paránomos), έκνομος (el) (éknomos), άνομος (el) (ánomos)

• Irish: neamhdhleathach (ga)
• Japanese: 不法の (ja) (fuhō no), 非合法の (ja) (higōhō no)
• Kurdish: neqanûnî (ku), qedexe (ku), memnûh (ku), yasax (ku), qaçax (ku), derqanûn (ku)
• Macedonian: незаконски (mk) (nezákonski) m, незаконит (mk) (nezákonit) m, противзаконски (mk) (protivzákonski) m, нелегален (mk) (nelégalen) m, илегален (mk) (ílegalen) m
• Portuguese: ilegal (pt)
• Romanian: ilegal (ro), nelegal (ro) m and n
• Russian: незаконный (ru) (nezakónnyj), нелегальный (ru) (nelegálʹnyj), неправомерный (ru) (nepravomérnyj)
• Spanish: ilegal (es)
• Turkish: yasa dışı (tr)

prohibited by established rules

• Catalan: il·legal (ca)
• Finnish: sääntöjen vastainen (fi)
• Greek: παράνομος (el) (paránomos), απαγορευμένος (el) (apagorevménos)
• Kurdish: qedexe (ku), memnûh (ku)
• Macedonian: недозволен (mk) (nedózvolen) m, неправилен (mk) (neprávilen) m

• Mandarin: 违法的 (cmn) (wéifǎ de), 違法的 (cmn)
• Romanian: ilegal (ro)
• Russian: неправильный (ru) (n'eprávil'nyj), неверный (ru) (n'ev'érnyj)
• Spanish: ilegal (es)

Noun

illegal (plural illegals)

1. (colloquial, derogatory) An illegal immigrant.
2. An illegal resident spy.
   • 2012, Christopher Andrew, ‘Colder War’, Literary Review, issue 399:

     Anna Chapman, whose glamorous appearance won her more publicity in the Western media than all the other illegals combined, was so successfully deceived by a US sting operation that she handed over her SVR laptop to an FBI agent posing as a Russian.

Translations

illegal immigrant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非法移民 (cmn) (fēifǎ yímín)

• Dutch: illegaal (nl) m and f
• Finnish: laiton maahanmuuttaja (fi)

• Greek: λαθρομετανάστης (el) (lathrometanástis) m
• Russian: нелегал (ru) (n'el'egál) m
• Spanish: ilegal (es)
• Swahili: haramu (sw)

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Asturian

Adjective

illegal (epicene, plural illegales)

1. illegal

Antonyms

• llegal

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German

Adjective

illegal (not comparable)

1. illegal

Synonyms

• strafbar, ungesetzlich

Declension

    Declension of illegal

gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist illegal	sie ist illegal	es ist illegal	sie sind illegal
strong declension (without article)	nominative	illegaler	illegale	illegales	illegale
	genitive	illegalen	illegaler	illegalen	illegaler
	dative	illegalem	illegaler	illegalem	illegalen
	accusative	illegalen	illegale	illegales	illegale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der illegale	die illegale	das illegale	die illegalen
	genitive	des illegalen	der illegalen	des illegalen	der illegalen
	dative	dem illegalen	der illegalen	dem illegalen	den illegalen
	accusative	den illegalen	die illegale	das illegale	die illegalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein illegaler	eine illegale	ein illegales	(keine) illegalen
	genitive	eines illegalen	einer illegalen	eines illegalen	(keiner) illegalen
	dative	einem illegalen	einer illegalen	einem illegalen	(keinen) illegalen
	accusative	einen illegalen	eine illegale	ein illegales	(keine) illegalen