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Glite Dictionary
to illegalize

to illegalize

1 6.7
To make something against the law
  • verb
  • /ɪˈliːɡəˌlaɪz/
  • US
translation icon : ilegalizar
  • As we learn from history, laws can have negative consequences, but laws illegalizing abortion have none.

Examples

  • And if there’s a country that would illegalize gay sex, it would be Singapore, which executes drug traffickers and canes vandals.

    Blog text (9)

  • The politicians who are the subject of this piece are Congressmen and Senators, and if their party can take back the Senate and the White House, the dozens of bills they spin to illegalize abortion with no exceptions can very well become national law, and of course, state law, since that's already happening in little pieces.

    Blog text (13)

  • May you illegalize all such beings?

    Blog text (31)

  • Starting March 1, 2011, the DEA illegalized Spice using emergency powers.

    Blog text (2)

  • In regards to the US illegalizing weed, it's being hypocritical of our own nation.

    Blog text (12)

  • The government has enacted a measure that illegalizes the categorization of learners and teachers by Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa affiliations.

    Academic text (2006)

  • While all former communist states had generous social policies that included maternity leave and child-care facilities, the Romanian government went the farthest, prohibiting birth control and illegalizing abortions.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Starting March 1, 2011, the DEA illegalized Spice using emergency powers.

  • The government has enacted a measure that illegalizes the categorization of learners and teachers by Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa affiliations.

  • While all former communist states had generous social policies that included maternity leave and child-care facilities, the Romanian government went the farthest, prohibiting birth control and illegalizing abortions.

Synonyms

to ban
vsto illegalize
  • Formal
484 1.4

To officially stop someone from doing something by law or rule

emphasizes making something unlawful rather than only excluding it
to prohibit
vsto illegalize
299 3.3

To officially say that something is not allowed by law

is specifically the process of turning a practice into a legal offence
to outlaw
vsto illegalize
114 4.4

To make something illegal

is the general act of making something against the law by authority
to criminalize
vsto illegalize
33 6.8

To make an action illegal by law or treat someone as a criminal

is broader, covering legal prohibition beyond only criminal classification
to proscribe
vsto illegalize
  • Formal
8 8.6

To forbid something by law or official rule

focuses on creating a legal prohibition rather than a simple ban

Antonyms

to legalize
  • US
135 3.7

Make something allowed by law

How Illegal

to illegalize
  • US
1 6.7
to ban
  • Formal
484 1.4
to restrict
361 3.1
to regulate
258 3.4
to permit
531 1.5

Surface Forms

illegalize infinitive
illegalized past
illegalized past participle
illegalizing present participle
illegalizes third person singular

Morphology

illegalize = illegal (transparent) = legal + ize

The verb is formed by adding the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize' to the familiar adjective 'illegal', yielding the straightforward meaning 'make illegal'.

Etymology

Illegalize comes from the word illegal, meaning 'not allowed by law', plus the ending -ize, meaning 'to make or become'. So to illegalize something is to 'make it not allowed by law', which is why governments illegalize certain activities or items.