lawful

[ law-fuhl ]
See synonyms for: lawfullawfullylawfulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. allowed or permitted by law; not contrary to law: a lawful enterprise.

  2. recognized or sanctioned by law; legitimate: a lawful marriage; a lawful heir.

  1. appointed or recognized by law; legally qualified: a lawful king.

  2. acting or living according to the law; law-abiding: a lawful man; a lawful community.

Origin of lawful

1
First recorded in 1250–1300, lawful is from the Middle English word laghful.See law1, -ful

Other words for lawful

Other words from lawful

  • law·ful·ly, adverb
  • law·ful·ness, noun
  • pre·law·ful, adjective
  • pre·law·ful·ly, adverb
  • pre·law·ful·ness, noun
  • quasi-lawful, adjective
  • qua·si-law·ful·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lawful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lawful

lawful

/ (ˈlɔːfʊl) /


adjective
  1. allowed, recognized, or sanctioned by law; legal

Derived forms of lawful

  • lawfully, adverb
  • lawfulness, noun

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