unlawfully
part of speech
adverb (unlawfully)
meaning for a pupil
Unlawfully means in a way that is against the law. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Ezekiel it means wrongly and against God's law, as in cheating foreigners who live among the people. Interpretation: The Torah repeatedly commands care for the stranger. Tradition reads this verse as showing how far the people strayed from that law. In the primary lessons: Used in news, law and history: «unlawfully killed», «unlawfully detained», «entered the country unlawfully». It tells the reader that an action broke the law.
examples
- The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have wronged the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger unlawfully. (Prophets EZK.22.29, JPS 1917) tree →
- The man was arrested for unlawfully entering the building. tree →
- The court said the workers had been unlawfully dismissed. tree →
- Taking someone's bike without asking is acting unlawfully. tree →
- The prisoner claimed he was held unlawfully. tree →
- The land had been taken unlawfully many years ago. tree →
- The company unlawfully dumped waste in the river. tree →
note
Formal; everyday speech says «illegally». Opposite: «lawfully», «legally». «Unlawfully» means against the law; «unfairly» means not fair but may still be legal.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «unlawfully» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.