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Synonyms

law-abiding

American  
[law-uh-bahy-ding] / ˈlɔ əˌbaɪ dɪŋ /

adjective

  1. obeying or keeping the law; obedient to law.

    law-abiding citizens.
law-abiding British  

adjective

  1. adhering more or less strictly to the laws

    a law-abiding citizen
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • law-abidingness noun

Etymology

Origin of law-abiding

First recorded in 1830–40

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.

It was “free money” for law-abiding, tax-paying U.S. citizens.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

They are hard-working, law-abiding members of their communities, and many are U.S. citizens.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

“Full participation in commerce and public life necessarily requires that law-abiding individuals can access, and freely participate in, our financial system,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Those laws are said “to provide an incentive for parents to carefully supervise kids and help them develop into mature, law-abiding adults.”

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

It just didn’t seem in character, somehow, for correct, law-abiding Mr. Crouch to be sneaking around somebody else’s office this late at night....

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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.