legalism

American  

[lee-guh-liz-uhm] / ˈli gəˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.

2. Theology.

   1. the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works.

   2. the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws.

3. (initial capital letter) (in Chinese philosophy) the principles and practices of a school of political theorists advocating strict legal control over all activities, a system of rewards and punishments uniform for all classes, and an absolute monarchy.

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legalism British  

/ ˈliːɡəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. strict adherence to the law, esp the stressing of the letter of the law rather than its spirit

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Other Word Forms

• legalist noun
• legalistic adjective
• legalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of legalism

First recorded in 1830–40; legal + -ism

Example Sentences

And now he’s trapped by the same legalism that freed him.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2019

Yes, we established this culture of legalism precisely by saying that people are no longer guilty of things for which they weren’t prosecuted and of which they weren’t convicted.

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2018

This helps explain Pope Francis’s regular criticisms of Catholic legalism.

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2015

The victim culture combines the honor culture’s neuralgia with the dignity culture’s legalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 15, 2015

Only, men who had not passed like Paul from the extreme of trust in legalism to a corresponding extremity of despair might be pardoned for some insensibility to this inconsistency.

From The Making of the New Testament by Bacon, Benjamin Wisner