unlawfully

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈlɔfəli/ UK /ʌnˈlɔːfəli/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adv
in a manner contrary to the law

He was found to have unlawfully entered the premises.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a manner contrary to the... illegally illicitly illegitimately criminally

Opposites

lawfully legally legitimately

Word family

Related forms law lawful unlawful unlawfulness

Etymology

From unlawful (un- 'not' + lawful, from law + -ful) + -ly; law from Old English lagu, of Scandinavian origin.

un- Old English lagu Old English lag Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# unlawfully

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈlɔfəli/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈlɔːfəli/

## Meanings
1. in a manner contrary to the law

## Examples
- He was found to have unlawfully entered the premises.

## Synonyms
- illegally
- illicitly
- illegitimately
- criminally

## Antonyms
- lawfully
- legally
- legitimately

## Related Forms
- law
- lawful
- unlawful
- unlawfulness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: lagu
- Root: lag

## Etymology
From unlawful (un- 'not' + lawful, from law + -ful) + -ly; law from Old English lagu, of Scandinavian origin.

## AI Etymology
Unlawfully is from unlawful (un- 'not' + lawful, from law + -ful) + -ly; law from Old English lagu, of Scandinavian origin. Important recorded forms include un- (Old English), lagu (Old English), and lag (Old Norse). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers in a manner contrary to the law. The wider family includes related words such as law, lawful, unlawful, and unlawfulness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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