unlawfully

«unlawfully» in Mova's school dictionary: against the law — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adverb (unlawfully)

meaning for a pupil

Unlawfully means in a way that is against the law. tree →

sense in the 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 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.