lawlessness
Americannoun
-
the quality or condition of being without regard for the law; behavior that is contrary to or shows indifference to the law.
Unfortunately, a lot of confusion, lawlessness, stupidity, and even death surrounds alcohol use in college settings.
-
the state or condition of being without law or law enforcement to provide control or restraint.
For several months, the emerging nation looked as if it would slip into lawlessness and civil war.
Etymology
Origin of lawlessness
First recorded in 1585–95; lawless ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
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.
JOHANNESBURG—The corporate exodus from what was supposed to be Africa’s breakout economy is accelerating, propelled by a toxic cocktail of corruption, lawlessness and poor infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Hilton, a former Fox News host, wrote in an email that “every sane person is horrified by the scenes of chaos and lawlessness in Minneapolis, and most of all that people are getting killed.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
And yet, in a version of Britain the rest of Europe has abandoned to death and lawlessness, Kelson survives because of his dedication to artistic and scientific curiosity.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
He describes a "lawlessness" among some of the travelling public - mostly younger people - which he believes has got worse in 38 years of driving Birmingham's bus routes.
From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025
The passage of Prohibition had only compounded the territory’s feeling of lawlessness by encouraging organized crime and creating, in the words of one historian, “the greatest criminal bonanza in American history.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
