noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The state of being unlawful. uncountable

   "Near-synonyms: criminality, feloniousness, illicitness"

2. 2
   the quality of failing to conform to law wordnet
3. 3
   An unlawful act. countable

   "Near-synonyms: offense; outrage"

Synonyms

All synonyms

illegalityillegitimacyillicitnesscriminalityunlaw;

Antonyms

All antonyms

lawlawfulnesslegalitylegalness

Example

More examples

"Near-synonyms: criminality, feloniousness, illicitness"

Etymology

From un- + lawful + -ness.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.