different between illegal vs decriminalization

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French illégal, from Medieval Latin illegalis, from Latin legalis. In senses relating to immigration, via clipping from illegal alien or illegal immigrant.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??li???l/
• (US) enPR: ?.l?'g?l, IPA^(key): /??li.??l/, [???li.???]
• Rhymes: -i???l
• Hyphenation: il?le?gal

Adjective

illegal (comparative more illegal, superlative most illegal)

1. Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
2. Forbidden by established rules.

3. (philately, of an issue printed for collectors) Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
4. (of a person, sometimes offensive) Being or doing something illegally.

5. (chiefly US, sometimes offensive) Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.

Usage notes

The use of "illegal" to describe a person rather than an action is often regarded as offensive; see below.

Synonyms

• (forbidden by law): criminal, felonious, illicit, unlawful, irregular
• (totally fictitious): bogus

Antonyms

• (forbidden by law): lawful, legal

Derived terms

• illegal alien
• illegal immigrant

Translations

Noun

illegal (plural illegals)

1. (obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
2. (colloquial, in the plural, as illegals) Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
3. (colloquial, offensive) An illegal immigrant.
4. (espionage) A spy working abroad illegally and undercover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
   • 2012, Christopher Andrew, ‘Colder War’, Literary Review, issue 399:

     Anna Chapman, whose glamorous appearance won her more publicity in the Western media than all the other illegals combined, was so successfully deceived by a US sting operation that she handed over her SVR laptop to an FBI agent posing as a Russian.

Synonyms

• (illegal immigrant) crimmigrant

Usage notes

• The use of "illegal" to describe a person, rather than an action a person has undertaken, is often regarded as offensive. The use of "illegal" as a noun is especially charged.

Translations

References

Anagrams

• gill-ale

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ill?g?lis, from Latin l?g?lis corresponding to i- +? llegal.

Adjective

illegal (epicene, plural illegales)

1. illegal

Antonyms

• llegal

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin illegalis.

Adjective

illegal

1. illegal

Inflection

Synonyms

• ulovlig, forbudt

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin illegalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??le?a?l/

Adjective

illegal (not comparable)

1. illegal

Declension

Synonyms

• gesetzwidrig
• strafbar
• ungesetzlich

Derived terms

• Illegaler (“illegal / illegal immigrant”), Illegale (“illegal / illegal immigrant (female)”)
• Illegalität

Further reading

• “illegal” in Duden online

Occitan

Adjective

illegal m (feminine singular illegala, masculine plural illegals, feminine plural illegalas)

1. illegal

   Antonym: legal

Derived terms

• illegalament
• illegalizar

Portuguese

Adjective

illegal (plural illegaes, comparable)

1. Obsolete spelling of ilegal

English

Alternative forms

• (mainly UK) decriminalisation

Etymology

de- +? criminalization

Pronunciation

• enPR: d?kr?"m?n?l?z?'sh?n, IPA^(key): /di??k??m?n?la?z?e???n/

Noun

decriminalization (uncountable)

1. The act of making a previously criminal activity no longer treatable as a criminal offence.

2. The act of turning a criminal into a non-criminal by making their activities legal.

Antonyms

• criminalization

Translations

See also

• legalisation