legalese

[ lee-guh-leez, -lees ]

noun

1. language containing an excessive amount of legal terminology or of legal jargon.

legalese

/ ˌliːɡəˈliːz /

noun

1. the conventional language in which legal documents, etc, are written

Word History and Origins

Origin of legalese¹

First recorded in 1910–15; legal + -ese

Example Sentences

That’s when Williams, convicted earlier this year, sent Edwards the first images that count as “indecent”, the archaic legalese for depictions of abuse.

From BBC

It's dressing up the idea in legalese, giving white supremacy a law degree and saying, "This isn't actually me being bigoted, this is what the Constitution requires."

From Salon

A moment of levity came as Justice Mechan decided they would strike the convoluted word "eleemosynary" - used here as legalese for charitable - from the instructions.

From BBC

Currently, signing up for an app, for instance, often involves lengthy legalese that leads to “consent fatigue,” with most consumers having little to no idea what data they’ve surrendered.

From Seattle Times

She has been threatened with legalese every step of the way, as has the media.

From BBC