legalese

[ lee-guh-leez, -lees ]

/ ˌli gəˈliz, -ˈlis /

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noun

language containing an excessive amount of legal terminology or of legal jargon.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of legalese

First recorded in 1910–15; legal + -ese

Words nearby legalese

legal aid, legal aid society, legal cap, legal dictionary, legal eagle, legalese, legal holiday, legalism, legalistic, legality, legalize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use legalese in a sentence

We’ve already seen doctors hesitant to treat patients because the legalese is so vague in states where bans have been passed, even with exceptions.
When Abortion Isn’t A Partisan Issue|Alex Samuels (Alex.L.Samuels@abc.com)|September 20, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
TurboTax’s current terms-of-use agreement, which still contains an arbitration clause, runs to over 15,000 words of dense legalese.
TurboTax Maker Intuit Faces Tens of Millions in Fees in a Groundbreaking Legal Battle Over Consumer Fraud|by Justin Elliott|February 23, 2022|ProPublica
I realize this statement is written in the anodyne legalese that judges must employ, but I’m convinced that Judge Gallagher is letting his true feelings shine here.
The Trolling of David Lesh|Fred Dreier|November 11, 2021|Outside Online
Most of the time the policy conversation gets wrapped up in legalese around free speech and whose speech matters, but we need to shift and understand the true costs of misinformation.
Podcast: How online misinformation murdered the truth|Anthony Green|October 29, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The worst offenders as far as we are concerned are legalese and planning documents.
Will Jargon Be the Death of the English Language?|The Telegraph|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To his eyes, Washington was dominated by lawyers, all speaking incomprehensible legalese—or, as Keynes put it, “Cherokee”.
Niall Ferguson Responds to the Blogospherse|David Frum|May 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Scrutiny” is legalese—but important legalese, because it describes how closely a court should review a law.
DOMA Ruling Seems Good For Gays, But Supreme Court May Not Buy It|Jay Michaelson|October 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Legalese is justified by the attempt to avoid ambiguity in a given situation.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for legalese

legalese

/ (ˌliːɡəˈliːz) /

noun

the conventional language in which legal documents, etc, are written

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