lawful
Americanadjective
-
allowed or permitted by law; not contrary to law.
a lawful enterprise.
- Synonyms:
- legal
-
recognized or sanctioned by law; legitimate.
a lawful marriage; a lawful heir.
- Synonyms:
- licit
-
appointed or recognized by law; legally qualified.
a lawful king.
-
acting or living according to the law; law-abiding.
a lawful man; a lawful community.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- lawfully adverb
- lawfulness noun
- prelawful adjective
- prelawfully adverb
- prelawfulness noun
- quasi-lawful adjective
- quasi-lawfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of lawful
First recorded in 1250–1300, lawful is from the Middle English word laghful. See law 1, -ful
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.
She said Sodais had technically entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident, and his green card should arrive in the mail within a few months.
From Los Angeles Times
Their defense team said the two acted in lawful self-defense.
A number of exceptions apply and the ban will not affect lawful permanent residents, many existing visa holders, diplomats, or athletes travelling for major sporting events.
From BBC
T-Mobile has since disabled the Easy Switch online tool, but maintained in court filings that the feature was lawful.
“The End of Everything” instructs us that the preservation of our democracy requires constant attention to the norms of civility, respect for lawful authority and a shared commitment to the dignity of every individual.
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.
