illegal meaning
illegal :
not allowed by law, against the law
adjective
▪ It is illegal to drive without a license.
▪ It is against the law to drive without a license.
▪ Selling drugs is illegal.
▪ Selling drugs is not allowed by law.
paraphrasing
▪ unlawful – not allowed by law
▪ illicit – not allowed by law
▪ forbidden – not allowed
▪ banned – not allowed
Pronunciation
illegal [ɪˈliːɡəl]
The stress is on 'le' and sounds like 'ih-lee-guhl'.
Common phrases and grammar about illegal
illegal - Common meaning
adjective
not allowed by law, against the law
Part of Speech Changes for "illegal"
▪ legality (noun) – the state of being legal
▪ legal (adjective) – allowed by law
Common Expressions with "illegal"
▪ illegal activity – actions not allowed by law
▪ illegal substance – drugs not allowed by law
▪ illegal immigration – moving to a country against the law
▪ illegal trade – buying and selling not allowed by law
Important examples of illegal in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, illegal is often used to describe actions or items not allowed by law.
Example of a confusing word: illicit (forbidden by law, rules, or custom)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Illegal is used as an adjective to describe actions or things not allowed by law in TOEIC grammar questions.
illegal
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
illegal practice
'actions not allowed by law', used in discussions about business or sports.
illegal alien
means 'a person living in a country without permission', used in legal contexts.
Differences between similar words and illegal
illegal
,
unlawful
differences
Illegal and unlawful both mean not allowed by law, but illegal is often used for more serious crimes.
Words with the same origin as illegal
The origin of illegal
Illegal comes from the Latin 'illegalis', meaning not lawful.
Word structure
It has the prefix il (not), root legal (lawful), and means 'not lawful'.
Words with the same origin
The root of illegal is legal (lawful). Words with the same root include legal (allowed by law), legislate (to make laws).
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