legality
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being in conformity with the law; lawfulness.
- Synonyms:
- validity, legitimacy
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attachment to or observance of law.
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Usually legalities. a duty or obligation imposed by law.
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Theology. reliance on good works for salvation rather than on free grace.
noun
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the state or quality of being legal or lawful
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adherence to legal principles
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of legality
1425–75; late Middle English legalite < Medieval Latin lēgālitās. See legal, -ity
Explanation
If you’re wondering about the legality of not paying taxes on your lottery winnings, then you’re wondering if it’s legal not to pay the taxes. The noun legality traces back to the Latin word legalis, meaning law, and it used to indicate the degree to which something agrees with the law. If you question the legality of something, such as a wiretap, what you’re doing is questioning whether or not it’s legal in a court of law. You might hear someone say that a court validated the legality of a particular action. That means the court ruled that the action was legal.
Vocabulary lists containing legality
And Then There Were None
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leg, legis (law)
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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.
Belfast Harbour Police said the item seized "is now part of an investigation and currently undergoing carbon dating to assess the legality of sale of such items".
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
As Slate’s Alexis Romero wrote last week, the Supreme Court just took up a case testing the legality of that extraordinary claim.
From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026
Fairness, ethics and legality occupy important places in finance, but when it comes to inheritance, the latter is the only one that matters.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Critics have also raised questions over the origin of the funds used to purchase coastal land and the legality of the procedures.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Beetee questions the legality of the Quell in his nervous, twitchy way, wondering if it’s been fully examined by experts of late.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
