positive law
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of positive law
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
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How does positive-law compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
"Natural" means without the enforcement of positive law, man-made law.
From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2015
“Freedom Riders” implicitly and ably conveys the powerlessness of positive law in the face of a toxic cultural emotionalism.
From New York Times • May 15, 2011
If valid, they place all persons within their reach under the obligation of positive law, binding equally those who assent and those who do not assent.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is so odious that nothing can be sufficient to support it but positive law.
From The Impending Crisis of the South How to Meet It by Helper, Hinton Rowan
He can indulge in hypothesis or gallantry without falling foul of the positive law, which indeed may even stimulate his interest and ingenuity by suggesting some indirect means of satisfaction.
From Character and Opinion in the United States by Santayana, George
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.
