unlawful

Contrary to or unauthorized by law; illegal.

When applied to promises, agreements, or contracts, the term denotes that such agreements have no legal effect. The law disapproves of such conduct because it is immoral or contrary to public policy. Unlawful does not necessarily imply criminality, although the term is sufficiently broad to include it.

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unlawful adj. referring to any action which is in violation of a statute, federal or state constitution, or established legal precedents (against the law).

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unlawful adjective actionable, against the law, criminal, forbidden, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, non legitimus, not allowed by law, outlawed, prohibited, transgressive, unallowed, unauthorized, unlicensed, unsanctioned, unwarranted, vetitus, wrongful, wrongous
Associated concepts: unlawful accumulation, unlawful act, unlawful assembly, unlawful combination, unlawful connract, unlawful detainer, unlawful detention, unlawful ennichment, unlawful entrapment, unlawful entry, unlawful flight, unlawful force, unlawful picketing
Foreign phrases: Ex pacto illicito non oritur actio.From an unlawful agreement, no action will lie.

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See also: broken, delinquent, felonious, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, immoral, impermissible, unauthorized, unscrupulous, unwarranted, wrongful

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UNLAWFUL. That which is contrary to law.
     2. There are two kinds of contracts which are unlawful; those which are void, and those which are not. When the law expressly prohibits the transaction in respect of which the agreement is entered into and declares it to be void, it is absolutely so. 3 Binn. R. 533. But when it is merely prohibited, without being made void, although unlawful, it is not void. 12 Serg. & Rawle, 237; Chitty, Contr. 230; 23 Amer. Jur. 1 to 23; 1 Mod. 35; 8 East, R. 236, 237; 3 Taunt. R. 244; Hob. 14. Vide Condition; Void.