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Outlaw vs Illegal - What's the difference?

outlaw | illegal |

As nouns the difference between outlaw and illegal

is that outlaw is a fugitive from the law while illegal is an illegal immigrant.

As a verb outlaw

is to declare illegal.

As an adjective illegal is

contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.

outlaw

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A fugitive from the law.
  • A person who is excluded from normal legal rights.
  • A person who operates outside established norms.
    • The main character of the play was a bit of an outlaw who refused to shake hands or say thank you.
  • A wild horse.
  • (humorous) An in-law: a relative by marriage.

    • Synonyms

    * (person that operates outside established norms) anti-hero

    Verb

    (outlaw)
  • To declare illegal
  • To place a ban upon
  • To remove from legal jurisdiction or enforcement.
    • to outlaw a debt or claim
  • To deprive of legal force.
    • Laws outlawed by necessity. — Fuller.

    External links

    * * *

    illegal

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Peter Wilby)
    • , volume=189, issue=6, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Finland spreads word on schools , passage=Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal , and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.}}
  • Forbidden by established rules.
  • (philately, of an issue printed for collectors) Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
  • .
  • # (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.https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/04/03-5

    Synonyms

    * (forbidden by law) criminal, felonious, illicit, unlawful * (totally fictitious) bogus

    Antonyms

    * (forbidden by law) lawful, legal

    Derived terms

    * illegal alien * illegal immigrant

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (colloquial, offensive) An illegal immigrant.
  • An illegal resident spy.
  • * 2012 , , ‘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.

    Usage notes

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

    References

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