lawless
Americanadjective
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contrary to or without regard for the law.
lawless violence.
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being without law; uncontrolled by a law; unbridled; unruly; unrestrained.
lawless passion.
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illegal.
bootleggers' lawless activity.
adjective
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without law
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disobedient to the law
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contrary to or heedless of the law
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uncontrolled; unbridled
lawless rage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lawless
First recorded in 1150–1200; from Middle English laweles; see law 1, -less
Explanation
A lawless society is one without any rules or order. In some respects, the Old West era of the U.S. was a lawless time. When you think of old-timey saloons and sheriffs and cowboys, you probably envision lawless bandits riding boldly into town — in other words, criminals accustomed to making their own rules, rather than following any established laws. A lawless city today is one that's in such chaos that order can't be kept, even by police officers. To be lawless is to be without law, which stems from the Old English lagu, "law or rule."
Vocabulary lists containing lawless
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Wrong
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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.
One street we visited in the West Midlands was described as "lawless" by an anonymous law enforcement source.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
“Immigration scammers contribute to a lawless environment, undermining our immigration system,” said Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency Urbina falsely thought had awarded her residency.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
From the jump, though, they saw Dead City as something communal yet lawless.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Their country has become lawless in many places and they want relief.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
How could she ever live in such a lawless place?
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
