Illegal and Unauthorized

Illegal

Illegal adjective - Contrary to or forbidden by law.
Usage example: it is illegal to import those birds into this country

Unauthorized is a synonym for illegal in unlawful topic. In some cases you can use "Unauthorized" instead an adjective "Illegal", when it comes to topics like unlicensed, against the law. popular alternative

Nearby Words: illegality, illegally

Unauthorized

Unauthorized adjective - Not endowed with authority.

Illegal is a synonym for unauthorized in unlawful topic. You can use "Illegal" instead an adjective "Unauthorized", if it concerns topics such as permitted, unapproved, disallowed. popular alternative

Nearby Word: unauthorised

Both words in one sentence

  • Series / Agent Carter Since this was an unauthorized (and very illegal) mission, she tries to keep him from finding out, even when knocking from the inside of the trunk starts.
  • Selling unauthorized drawings of copyrighted characters is illegal, but put it on a pay site and people are technically paying for the site, not the art.
  • On the one hand, many large content groups (chief among them the RIAA, MPAA, IFPI, and video game distributors) argue that by preventing unauthorized copying, they ensure that artists are fairly compensated for their work and reduce the availability of illegal pirated content.
    Source: DRM
Cite this Source
Unauthorized and Illegal. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/illegal/unauthorized
Illegal & Unauthorized. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/illegal/unauthorized>.
Unauthorized or Illegal. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/illegal/unauthorized.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "illegal" and "unauthorized" have occurred on timeline