Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

illegality

/ˌɪliɡˈælɪti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: il-le-gal-i-ty
IPA: /ˌɪliɡˈælɪti/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

5

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

the state of being illegal

Countable; Uncountable

noun

a defense to the validity of a contract because it was in violation of the law

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The criminal was aware of the illegality of his act."
"In Fraenkel’s defiance of mortality and professionalism and his skill in navigating the triple state lay part of the origins of his idea of the dual state. He answered the illegality in the Nazi prerogative state with his own commitment to illegality in both the resistance and even the legal system itself."
"When sued for refusing to pay for services provided by a prostitute, the customer raised the defense of illegality."

Etymology

From French illégalité, equivalent to il- + legality or illegal + -ity.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Prefix: il
Root: illégalité
Suffix: illegal

Usage

Inflected Forms

illegalities (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

anarchy free-for-all Wild West

Synonyms

lawlessness illegalness illegality unlawfulness unlaw

Antonyms

legality lawfulness legalness

Rhymes With

personality functionality plurality immortality originality individuality fatality speciality rationality criminality constitutionality impartiality

Questions

How do you pronounce illegality?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɪliɡˈælɪti/.
What does illegality mean?: the state of being illegal
Where does illegality come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce illegality

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “illegality”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɪliɡˈælɪti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “illegality”.
Repeat and practice — Say “illegality” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.