Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Being within the law; allowed by law.
  • adjective Established, sanctioned, or recognized by the law.
  • adjective Obeying the law; law-abiding.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Allowed by law; legitimate; not contrary to law; free from legal objection: as, that is deemed lawful which no law forbids; many things are lawful which are not expedient.
  • Constituted or supported by law; capable of being enforced by law; rightful: as, lawful demands; the lawful owner of lands.
  • Possessing full legal rights.
  • Synonyms Allowable, permissible, regular.
  • 1 and Lawful, Legal, Legitimate, Licit, legalized, authorized, constitutional, just. Between lawful and legal there is really the same difference in breadth that there is between law and legislation or statute. (See law.) Legal is exact, meaning conformed to the law of the land, and having little figurative use: as, legal interest; a legal act. Lawful means not opposed to law, primarily to the law of the land, but with a good deal of freedom in figurative extension: it is unlike law, however, in always seeming figurative when carried beyond its primary meaning. Legitimate has as one of its primary meanings the idea of being born under law: as, a legitimate child; its other meanings are kindred. A legitimate inference is one that is drawn in conformity witll the laws of truth or thought. That which is legitimate is generally something made or done in conformity to law, principle, justice, fairness, or propriety. Licit is rarely used except in the phrase licit or illicit; these words apply to that which is lawful or unlawful, or perhaps only legal or illegal, in trade, relations, or especially intercourse, illicit expressing much more opprobrium than unlawful or illegal. See criminal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent.
  • adjective Constituted or authorized by law; rightful.
  • adjective the age when the law recognizes one's right of independent action; majority; -- generally the age of twenty-one years. Also called legal age or age of majority.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Conforming to, or recognised by law or rules.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective according to custom or rule or natural law
  • adjective conformable to or allowed by law
  • adjective having a legally established claim
  • adjective authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English laweful, equivalent to law +‎ -ful, conflated with Middle English leful, leeful, leveful ("according to law, lawful, pertaining to law"). See also leveful.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word lawful.

Examples

  • It only prohibits *lawful* use, and if the use of weapons for self-defense were prohibited by any law, they would not be a lawful use, and thus not prohibited by this law.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Academic Officiousness Gets Results: 2009

  • All _lawful_ commands would involve a question -- what are lawful commands?

    Memoirs of James Robert Hope-Scott, Volume 2 Robert Ornsby 1854

  • While the term lawful access sounds innocuous, the program, which dates back to 2002, represents law enforcement's desire to re-make Canada's networks to allow for lawful interception of private communications.

    Peace, order and good government, eh?: March 2005 Archives 2005

  • Yet they affected to consider themselves in lawful war against Spain, for the reason that the Spaniards had debarred them from the privileges of hunting in the forests and fishing in the waters of St. Domingo -- thus depriving them of the exercise of what they called their lawful rights.

    The Continental Monthly, Vol III, Issue VI, June, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy Various

  • Shooting an Indian from an and-bush is acting up to his own principles, and now we have what you call a lawful war on our hands, the sooner you wipe that disgrace off your conscience, the sounder will be your sleep; if it only come from knowing there is one inimy the less prowling in the woods.

    The Deerslayer: Or, the First War-path 1841

  • Besigye said he will return to Uganda next week and that he will participate in what he called "lawful, peaceful" protests, though his presence in previous marches has spurred violence.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • In the fall of 2005, LaRouche put out a sharp warning on the threat of hyperinflationary collapse, which he identified as the lawful outcome of Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan's policy of flooding the world with money. webcast of July 25, 2007, LaRouche declared that the international financial system had reached the breaking point.

    LaRouche's Latest 2009

  • They were careful to note that their appeal is in lawful alignment with the Chinese Constitution as well as the PRC's Law on Regional National Autonomy.

    Tenzin Dickyi: The Question of Linguistic Autonomy for Tibetans Tenzin Dickyi 2010

  • They were careful to note that their appeal is in lawful alignment with the Chinese Constitution as well as the PRC's Law on Regional National Autonomy.

    Tenzin Dickyi: The Question of Linguistic Autonomy for Tibetans Tenzin Dickyi 2010

  • The reason I need to know the legal basis of this general right not to be put on a government list for engaging in lawful activity is because I want to stop the government pestering me about registering that car I bought.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Merrick Garland is no friend of the rights of gun owners 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.