illegalmente

Illegalmente is an adverb used in Italian to indicate that an action was performed in an illegal or unlawful manner. It is formed from the adjective illegale (not legal) with the adverbial suffix -mente, yielding illegale + mente. The term appears in formal writing, journalism, and legal texts to describe conduct that violates laws, regulations, or rights. For example, one might say: Ha venduto prodotti illegalmente (He sold products illegally).

In nuance, illegalmente emphasizes unlawfulness rather than legitimacy. For situations stressing illegitimacy or nonconformity to rights or status, Italian speakers may use illegittimamente (illegitimately) to convey a slightly different shade of meaning.

Cross-linguistically, many Romance languages have cognate forms with the same core meaning. In Spanish the equivalent is ilegalmente, and in Portuguese ilegalmente; both express doing something in an unlawful way. The general pattern is an adjective meaning not legal combined with the adverbial suffix -mente, creating an adverb that means “in an illegal manner.”

See also: illegale, illegittimo, illegittimamente.