legalism
noun
strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.
legalistically
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a word derived from
legalism.
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a word derived from
legalistic.
legalisticadjectiveof, relating to, or exhibiting strict adherence to the law, esp to the letter of the law rather than its spirit
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.
As for the two trials, there are some similarities of less importance than the dissimilarities that are legalistically quite distinguishing.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2024
Is it interesting that a man who spent years trying to prove that an evasive and lawyerly president lied ended up agonizing over how exactly to legalistically phrase his own failures?
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2021
Amid bracing attacks on his integrity, he answered curtly and legalistically, only occasionally seeming offended.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2019
You don’t watch this like it’s “Law and Order,” searching legalistically for clues of innocence or guilt.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 23, 2018
The British, however, like the Americans, are legalistically inclined, and disputes between the two nations are likely to be maintained to the limit of the law.
From The Path of Empire; a chronicle of the United States as a world power by Carl Russell Fish
