Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Prohibited by law.
- adjective Prohibited by official rules.
- adjective Unacceptable to or not performable by a computer.
- noun A person who is not legally authorized to live and work in a country.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not legal; contrary to law; unlawful; illicit: as, an illegal act; illegal commerce.
- Synonyms Illegal, Felonious, etc. (See
criminal .) Unlawful, Illegitimate, etc. (Seelawful .)
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not according to, or authorized by, law; specif., contrary to, or in violation of, human law; unlawful; illicit; hence, immoral
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective law Contrary to or
forbidden by law, especiallycriminal law . - adjective Forbidden by established
rules - adjective philately Totally
fictitious , and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country. - adjective of an immigrant Being an
illegal immigrant ; residing in a country illegally. - noun colloquial, derogatory An
illegal immigrant . - noun An illegal resident spy.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Calling illegal immigrants 'undocumented workers' does not lessen the fact that they are * illegal*, that they have broken our laws and should be treated as such.
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In terms of language, one of the toughest battles today is over the widespread use of the term "illegal immigrant," made popular by conservatives in an attempt to dehumanize undocumented immigrants.
Eva Paterson: Building a Real Progressive Movement for Change Eva Paterson 2011
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In terms of language, one of the toughest battles today is over the widespread use of the term "illegal immigrant," made popular by conservatives in an attempt to dehumanize undocumented immigrants.
Eva Paterson: Building a Real Progressive Movement for Change Eva Paterson 2011
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For those entering illegally, the term illegal immigrant is preferred.
Essential Guide to Business Style and Usage PAUL R. MARTIN 2002
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For those entering illegally, the term illegal immigrant is preferred.
Essential Guide to Business Style and Usage PAUL R. MARTIN 2002
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One-size-fits-all criminal label What's more, the term "illegal immigrant" is imprecise.
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Three years ago, he said the term "illegal immigrant" should not be used, arguing that "being in this country without documentation is not a crime."
The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post Philip Ruckerand Perry Bacon Jr. 2011
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I think the word "illegal" which is part of the term illegal alien, justify's the Sheriff's actions.
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A campaign run by the always-chingón Applied Research Center publishers of the even-more-chingón magazine, Colorlines is seeking that everyone stop using the term "illegal" outright, or at the least resort to using the awkward I-word stand-in.
Gustavo Arellano: ¡ASK A MEXICAN!: "Illegals" and The "N-Word" Gustavo Arellano 2011
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Amnesty supporters refuse to use the term illegal aliens, preferring instead undocumented aliens.
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