law of nature
Britishnoun
-
an empirical truth of great generality, conceived of as a physical (but not a logical) necessity, and consequently licensing counterfactual conditionals
-
a system of morality conceived of as grounded in reason See natural law nomological
-
See law 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.
It was a bet that stocks and bonds would move in opposite directions, dressed up in a word that made it sound like a law of nature.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
James Otis, a prominent Patriot from Massachusetts, asserted in 1764 that the “colonists are by the law of nature free born, as indeed all men are, white or black.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
A paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today describes "a missing law of nature," recognizing for the first time an important norm within the natural world's workings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2023
It is a law of nature that there is never too much cowbell.
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
The night remained calm and still, but Matthias and Constance stayed alert, both knowing if they failed to observe this rudimentary law of nature, the penalty could be fatal.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
