Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is illegal versus unlawful.

Here's a question from Jed in Washington, DC.

From my seat on the bus I could see a big sign listing things that were unlawful to do

on the bus, such as eat, listen to loud music, etc.

I was curious if this word carried less force than illegal, even though they both seemed

to mean the same thing according to a few dictionaries that I checked.

Since Jed, I have some language-related comments, but I'm bringing in legal ad to answer

the meat of your question.

Great question, Jed.

But first, a disclaimer.

Although I am an attorney, the legal information in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute

for seeking personalized legal advice from an attorney license to practice in your jurisdiction.

Further, I do not intend to create an attorney-client relationship with any listener.

The short answer is that there is a slight semantic difference between the two words, but

no difference with regard to criminal punishment.

The prefix is ill, I-L, and un, UN, both mean the same thing, they mean not.

So do both of these words mean not lawful?

Black's law dictionary defines unlawful as not authorized by law, illegal.

Illegal is defined as forbidden by law, unlawful.

Semantically there is a slight difference.

It seems that something illegal is expressly prescribed by statute, and something unlawful

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