legal

[ lee-guhl ]

/ ˈli gəl /

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See synonyms for: legal / legally on Thesaurus.com

adjective

permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.

of or relating to law; connected with the law or its administration: the legal profession.

appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.

recognized by law rather than by equity.

of, relating to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers: a legal mind.

Theology.

of or relating to the Mosaic Law.
of or relating to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.

noun

a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.

Usually legals . a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country legally.

a person whose status is protected by law.

a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.

a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.

legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.

OTHER WORDS FOR legal

1 licit, legitimate;

3 sanctioned.

See synonyms for legal on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of legal

First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin lēgālis “of the law,” equivalent to lēg- (stem of lēx ) “law” + -ālis adjective suffix; see -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM legal

le·gal·ly, adverbpost·le·gal, adjectivepre·le·gal, adjectivepseu·do·le·gal, adjective

quasi-legal, adjectivequa·si-le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal, adjectiveun·le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal·ness, noun

Words nearby legal

leftwards, left wing, lefty, leg, legacy, legal, legal age, legal aid, legal aid society, legal blindness, legal cap

How to use legal in a sentence

She writes with the ease of a novelist rather than the characteristic precision of a legal scholar.
A Georgetown professor trades her classroom for a police beat|Ronald S. Sullivan Jr.|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Another proposal would prohibit cars from blocking the box at intersections, which is legal in some parts of the state.
Traffic counts fell during the coronavirus pandemic, but road fatalities still increased|Luz Lazo|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
In general, ESG stands for “environment-social-governance” and comprises a set of principles that touches on issues from diversity and board structures to labor relations, supply chain, data ethics, environmental impact and legal requirements.
European VC funds are building community around ESG initiatives|Richard Dal Porto|February 11, 2021|TechCrunch
Companies don’t share that info, in part because of the concern about legal consequences like the ones Trek is facing now.
The Trek WaveCel Helmet Lawsuit, Explained|Joe Lindsey|February 10, 2021|Outside Online

Jeff Kosseff, a former reporter turned lawyer and legal scholar, has emerged as one of the leading experts on the 1996 law and is author of the aptly titled book “The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.”
Twenty-Six Words Created the Internet. What Will It Take to Save It?|Stephen Engelberg|February 9, 2021|ProPublica
The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Weeks retained an unparalleled legal team, which included bitter political rivals Hamilton and Burr.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts|Christopher Dickey|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, legal issues are only one of the things standing between an ex-prisoner and a job.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Supreme Court eventually stepped in and ended legal segregation in the landmark 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education.
The ‘No Child’ Rewrite Threatens Your Kids’ Future|Jonah Edelman|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was guilty of the weakness of taking refuge in what is called, I believe, in legal phrase, a side-issue.
Confidence|Henry James
The legal framework of the State and of obedience to the law in which industrial society is set threatens to break asunder.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The seizure was made in legal form; the banker, who lost nothing, was bound to comply with it.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
This little book contains many of the legal principles that are in most frequent use, as readers will learn who carefully read it.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The law only gave you the right to proceed against him to recover money damages for the legal injury.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for legal

legal

/ (ˈliːɡəl) /

adjective

established by or founded upon law; lawful

of or relating to law

recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity

relating to or characteristic of the profession of law

Derived forms of legal

legally, adverb

Word Origin for legal

C16: from Latin lēgālis, from lēx law

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

legal

OTHER WORDS FOR legal

Origin of legal

OTHER WORDS FROM legal

Words nearby legal

Words related to legal

How to use legal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for legal

Derived forms of legal

Word Origin for legal