legal
Americanadjective
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permitted by law; lawful.
Such acts are not legal.
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of or relating to law; connected with the law or its administration.
the legal profession.
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appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.
- Synonyms:
- sanctioned , legitimate , licit
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recognized by law rather than by equity.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers.
a legal mind.
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Theology.
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of or relating to the Mosaic Law.
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of or relating to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.
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noun
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a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.
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Usually legals a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country legally.
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a person whose status is protected by law.
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a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.
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a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.
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legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.
adjective
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established by or founded upon law; lawful
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of or relating to law
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recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity
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relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
Other Word Forms
- legally adverb
- postlegal adjective
- prelegal adjective
- pseudolegal adjective
- quasi-legal adjective
- quasi-legally adverb
- unlegal adjective
- unlegally adverb
- unlegalness noun
Etymology
Origin of legal
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin lēgālis “of the law,” equivalent to lēg- (stem of lēx ) “law” + -ālis adjective suffix; -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A spokesperson from NHS Fife said: "We note the intention to bring further legal proceedings and have referred this to our legal team."
From BBC
Traditional online sports betting remains illegal in 19 states, including California and Texas, while events contracts are legal across the U.S. and regulated at the federal level by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
From Barron's
They said they needed somebody that can work legal hours, and I said, “Yeah, I’ll be 18.”
"The process fails to pass any reasonable test of judicial fairness - a point that has been made forcefully by both local and international legal experts," the party said.
From BBC
A solid loan agreement, if they went that route, should be witnessed and notarized, which would help if there was a legal dispute.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
