lawful
[law-fuh l]
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Origin of lawful
Synonyms
See more synonyms for lawful on Thesaurus.com1. legal. 2. licit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lawful
Contemporary Examples
It also makes the lawful carry of a firearm difficult during warmer months in Texas.
Because, they argued, any activity that is “unlawful” under federal law could not by definition be “lawful” under state law.
“All lawful modes of expressing opposition ... had been closed by legislation,” he told the court.
The arms protected, he wrote, were those that are in common use for lawful purposes, like handguns.
Any intentional use of lethal force is only lawful where strictly necessary in response to a truly imminent threat to life.
Historical Examples
No man ventured to interfere with this lawful exercise of his authority.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
No lawful passion can ever be so bewildering or ecstatic as an unlawful one.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.
To wish to obtain something in a lawful way is not coveting.
An Explanation of Luther's Small CatechismJoseph Stump
But I had a feelin' that Josiah Allen wuz, as you may say, my lawful prey.
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 1.Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
lawful
- allowed, recognized, or sanctioned by law; legal
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for lawful
adj.
c.1300, laghful; cf. Old Norse logfullr (see law). Related: Lawfully; lawfulness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper