legalism

American  

[lee-guh-liz-uhm] / ˈli gəˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.

2. Theology.

   1. the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works.

   2. the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws.

3. (initial capital letter) (in Chinese philosophy) the principles and practices of a school of political theorists advocating strict legal control over all activities, a system of rewards and punishments uniform for all classes, and an absolute monarchy.

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legalism British  

/ ˈliːɡəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. strict adherence to the law, esp the stressing of the letter of the law rather than its spirit

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Other Word Forms

• legalist noun
• legalistic adjective
• legalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of legalism

First recorded in 1830–40; legal + -ism

Explanation

Legalism is a strict, literal interpretation of the law, with no consideration of specific circumstances. In law, using legalism as a guiding principle means looking at established court decisions and congressional acts, then deciding cases based only on those. If a hungry person steals food, legalism would require a judge to find them guilty of theft based on established law, without any consideration of their specific circumstances. Legalism is derived from the Latin lex, "rule."

Example Sentences

And he seems less driven by moralism than bound by legalism.

From Washington Post • May 24, 2019

And now he’s trapped by the same legalism that freed him.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2019

But some Catholic authorities argue that such legalism itself is at odds with Catholic tradition, which from the time of Augustine has taught that the ultimate moral guide must be a person’s own individual conscience.

From Salon • Feb. 29, 2016

The victim culture combines the honor culture’s neuralgia with the dignity culture’s legalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 15, 2015

From the theology of John Murray, who like Ballou has been called "the father of American Universalism," he differed in that he divested Universalism of every trace of Calvinism and opposed legalism and trinitarian views.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various