legalism
noun
strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.
legalist
-
a word derived from
legalism.
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.
“I’m a formalist and legalist by orientation,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2022
We live now in this cancel culture, and as for me, everyone can have their own opinions, but I am one of these guys who can be called a "legalist," and less a moralist.
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2021
The late John Pierpont Morgan attracted Judge Gary, the legalist, to organize his iron and steel consolidation plans, and to give them grace.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sharett, a cautious legalist by temperament, will probably pay more heed to the U.N. and to Western wishes than his rambunctious predecessor.
From Time Magazine Archive
Coleridge has said that everyone is born a Platonist or an Aristotelian, and one might perhaps adapt the epigram by saying that everyone is naturally either a mystic or a legalist.
From Christian Mysticism by William Ralph Inge
