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.
Previous Haitian investigations into the assassination have stalled due to widespread gang control and lawlessness in the country.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
When those feelings go unaddressed for long enough, Hamm said, people will come to accept a certain amount of lawlessness from the figures they feel can solve their problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Robert King, who grew up in San Jose, watched the Bay Area transform as the technology industry grew, and said there are parallels with the lawlessness of past gold rushes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Still, the reference to 1930s-era Chicago law enforcement was apt, because it was an era of police lawlessness, where unconstitutional practices like the third-degree were justified as necessary to stopping organized crime.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
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.
