illegalize

To make illegal; to prohibit by law, to criminalize.

Verb

  1. To make illegal; to prohibit by law, to criminalize.
    • Only as recently as 1991 was the rape by a husband of his wife illegalised. - 2000, Lois Bibbings, Donald Nicolson, Feminist Perspectives on Criminal Law, page 111:
    • A 1908 Act illegalised the teagle, a particularly nasty snare of baited hooks joined by strings which was put out to attract birds during hard weather. - 2002, David Evans, A History of Nature Conservation in Britain,...
    • Although slavery had been illegalized by 1870, fundamental prejudice could not be legislated away. - 2013, A Scott Berg, Wilson, Berkley, published 2014, page 41:

Origin

From illegal + -ize or il- + legalize.

Forms

illegalizes illegalizing illegalized illegalise

Antonyms

legalize

Related

criminalize outlaw

Derived

illegalization