What does illegalizing mean?
Illegalizing means making something illegal, or bringing an activity within the scope of legal prohibition. The word is usually transitive: one illegalizes a practice, product, or form of conduct by imposing a legal ban or penalty on it. It occurs mainly in formal legal and political contexts, where it may suggest that an existing practice is being converted into an offence. The term can also carry a critical implication, as in claims that a regulation is effectively illegalizing conduct that was previously tolerated or protected. Although clearly understandable, illegalizing is relatively uncommon compared with simpler alternatives such as outlawing, prohibiting, and banning. Its distinctive value lies in its precision: it describes the act of making conduct unlawful rather than merely describing conduct that is already illegal.
verbTo make something illegal, especially by making it subject to legal prohibition or penalties.
- Making something illegal or subject to legal prohibition.
"The proposed regulation would effectively be illegalizing a practice that had previously been tolerated."
"The bill was accused of illegalizing speech that critics considered protected."
"By imposing the licensing requirement, the authorities were effectively illegalizing the traditional practice."
To illegalize something is to draw a legal line around it and place conduct beyond that line outside the law.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does illegalizing come from?
The word is formed from the adjective illegal and the suffix -ize, meaning “to make” or “to cause to become.” The adjective illegal comes through Old French from Latin illegalis, based on lex, meaning “law,” with the negative prefix in-. The derivative verbs legalize and legalization use the same Latin foundation in the opposite direction, making lawfulness or permitting something lawful.
Related word forms
How illegalizing is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon formal word and is normally transitive, taking the thing being prohibited as its object. It is more common in legal, political, and journalistic discussion than in everyday speech.
Easily confused with illegalizing
Illegalizing means making an activity or practice illegal, whereas legalizing means declaring or permitting it to be lawful.