contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law; "unlawful measures"; "unlawful money"; "unlawful hunters" having no legally established claim; "the wrongful heir to the throne" not morally right or permissible; "unlawful love
If something is unlawful, the law does not allow you to do it. employees who believe their dismissal was unlawful A pushed-in window indicated unlawful entry. = illegal lawful + unlawfully un·law·ful·ly the councils' assertion that the government acted unlawfully in imposing the restrictions. not legal = illegal