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.
The feeling of lawlessness has galvanised the community in many ways.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
But she wonders how successful such programs are, and argues that they become magnets for lawlessness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
President Hoover warned that the lawlessness “indicated a complete breakdown in Government.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
It was then that the heavens heard the cries of those men who had died from the lawlessness of the Earth.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
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.
