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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

“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

“For decades he lived a law-abiding life, raising his children and working in various cultural arenas,” they wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

And she takes me by the hand and walks me across the street, in an orderly, weirdly law-abiding way.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

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.