mindmap root((非法)) unlawful implies lack of conformity with law of any sort: ~ conduct. illegal often stresses lack of conformity to what is sanctioned by the law as defined by statute and administered by courts: an ~ U-turn. illegitimate tends to be narrow in reference and usually applies to children born out of wedlock or to a relation leading to such a result: their union was ~; but it may refer to something that is not proper according to rules of logic or to authorities or to precedent: an ~ inference. illicit may imply lack of conformance with a regulatory law: ~ distilling; but it is also applied to something obtained, done, or maintained unlawfully, illegally, or illegitimately: an ~ affair.