unlawful
adj.not allowed by the law. You use this to describe actions or things that break official rules or legal standards.
adj.contrary to or prohibited by law; not authorized by legal rules. Often used in formal or legal contexts to describe specific acts rather than a person's general character.
“The judge ruled that the search was unlawful.”
“The company faced heavy fines after the court found their hiring practices to be unlawful.”
“The tribunal concluded that the detention was unlawful because the authorities failed to provide a valid warrant within the required forty-eight-hour window.”
Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun or as a predicative adjective after a linking verb.
Unlawful usually describes actions, objects, or states (like a 'search' or 'possession'), whereas 'criminal' or 'dishonest' is used to describe a person's character.
“Aaron Mulhall (31), Clay Farm Drive, Leopardstown Drive, Dublin 18, was charged with unlawful possession of drugs for sale or supply on August 13th at Blackhall Square, Dublin 7.”
“On Sunday, two days before parliament’s return from recess, No 10 announced that sentences for unlawful killing would be blocked from the early release scheme.”
From Middle English unlawful; equivalent to un- + lawful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.