Legitimate and Unlawful

Opposite meaning words

sentence examples

Legitimate

Legitimate adjective - Permitted by law.
Usage example: the mistrust created among investors by the financial scandal has hurt even companies engaged in wholly legitimate business practices
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Synonyms for Legitimate
Antonyms for Legitimate
Unlawful is an antonym for legitimate in topics: lawful, authentic, illegitimate.
Nearby Words: legitimately, legitimacy, legitimize, legitimated, legitimatize

Unlawful

Unlawful adjective - Contrary to or forbidden by law.
Usage example: it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits
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Synonyms for Unlawful
Antonyms for Unlawful
Legitimate is an antonym for unlawful in topics: lawful, against the law.
Nearby Words: unlawfulness, unlawfully
Similar words of legitimate

Similar words of unlawful

Both words in one sentence

  • The "legitimate" in the header above refers to the fact that under the original Geneva Conventions, there are protections only for lawful combatants and noncombatants, not "unlawful combatants".
    Source: Useful Notes / The Laws and Customs of War
Cite this Source
Unlawful and Legitimate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/unlawful
Legitimate & Unlawful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/unlawful>.
Unlawful or Legitimate. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/unlawful.

Antonyms for legitimate


Antonyms for unlawful

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "legitimate" and "unlawful" have occurred on timeline