lawful

[ law-fuhl ]

/ ˈlɔ fəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lawful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

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

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

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

Origin of lawful

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

SYNONYMS FOR lawful

1 legal.

2 licit.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lawful ON THESAURUS.COM

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 qua·si-law·ful, adjective qua·si-law·ful·ly, adverb

Words nearby lawful

law-hand, lawbook, lawbreaker, lawes, lawfare, lawful, lawgiver, lawin, lawing, lawks, lawless

Example sentences from the Web for lawfully

The DEA will continue to work with state officials so the state can lawfully obtain the seeds.

Kentucky Tells Feds: Hands Off Our Hemp! |Abby Haglage |May 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Dreamers, he says, “are considered to be lawfully present despite lacking valid immigration status.”

Gov. Jan Brewer Battles Obama’s DREAM Directive in Arizona |Terry Greene Sterling |August 17, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Thanks to the Obama directive, Dreamers soon will be lawfully present.

Gov. Jan Brewer Battles Obama’s DREAM Directive in Arizona |Terry Greene Sterling |August 17, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
At the bottom of the form, he scrawled, “Insufficient information provided to lawfully issue subpoena.”

The Tiger Coverup |Steve Helling |May 3, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

All must agree that the direct tax was lawfully and constitutionally laid and that it was rightfully and correctly collected.

A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents |Grover Cleveland
No Hebrew court could lawfully meet on a Sabbath or a feast day, or on a day preceding a Sabbath or a feast day.

The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. I (of II) |Walter M. Chandler
It was doubtful whether Scotch seamen could be lawfully pressed by the king in England.

A Short History of the Royal Navy 1217 to 1688 |David Hannay
But this is not one of those accidental evils, which may be lawfully done, though unlawfully commanded.

A Christian Directory (Part 2 of 4) |Richard Baxter
He therefore had felt himself free; and, "by the inspiration of the Most High, had lawfully married another woman."

History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth. Vol. II. |James Anthony Froude

British Dictionary definitions for lawfully

lawful

/ (ˈlɔːfʊl) /

adjective

allowed, recognized, or sanctioned by law; legal

Derived forms of lawful

lawfully, adverb lawfulness, noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lawful

adjective

Origin of lawful

SYNONYMS FOR lawful

OTHER WORDS FROM lawful

Words nearby lawful

Example sentences from the Web for lawfully

British Dictionary definitions for lawfully

adjective

Derived forms of lawful

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lawful

adjective

Origin of lawful

SYNONYMS FOR lawful

OTHER WORDS FROM lawful

Words nearby lawful

Words related to lawfully

Example sentences from the Web for lawfully

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adjective

Derived forms of lawful

British Dictionary definitions for lawfully