outlawed

Outlawed is an adjective used to describe something that has been declared illegal or prohibited by law, or a person who has been declared an outlaw. The term emphasizes that the subject is outside the protection of the legal system. In everyday usage, the phrase outlawed activity or outlawed substance signals a formal prohibition enforced by law.

Historically, outlawry was a formal status in some medieval legal systems, most notably in English law. A person who failed to appear in court or committed a serious crime could be proclaimed an outlaw, losing legal protections and subject to arrest or violence without consequence. The practice relied on public declaration and clear procedures, and it declined as modern criminal procedure and due process developed.

In contemporary usage, outlawed generally refers to acts, substances, or classes that are prohibited by law within a jurisdiction. Governments may outlaw drugs, weapons, or forms of organized activity, and enforcement varies by country. The term is also used more loosely and metaphorically to describe practices deemed unacceptable or outside mainstream norms. It is distinct from illegal in that outlawed often connotes a formal designation rather than simple illegality.

Etymology traces to the idea of someone being “out of the law”—outside legal protection. The noun outlaw originally described a person so labeled, while the verb to outlaw means to declare something or someone as outside the protection of and subjected to legal sanction.