law unto oneself
English
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law unto oneself
- /ˈlɔː ˈʌntʊ ˌwʌnˈsɛlf/ UK
- /-ˈʌntuː-/ UK
- /-ˈʌntə-/ UK
- /ˈlɔ ˈʌntə ˌwʌnˈsɛlf/ US
- /-ˈʌntʊ-/ US
Where it comes from
Probably from Romans 2:14 in the King James Version of the Bible (see the quotation under sense 3 below), though the term has come to have the opposite meaning, as senses 1 and 2 indicate. Sense 3 is now largely limited to references to the Bible verse.
noun laws unto themselves
- One who is free from the constraints of law or rules. If you take away the Law, all things will fall into a Confuſion, every Man will become a law unto himſelf; which, in the depraved Condition of Human Nature, muſt needs produce many great Enormities.
- One who flouts the law or conventional wisdom; one who ignores rules or logic to behave according to his or her own standards. [T]he law was made to oppress the colored race, so I snapped my finger at the law, an' resolved to come up with it every time I got a chance. I would be a higher law unto myself; for if a white man, when he was wronged, was justified in rightin' himself, even to the takin' of life, I, bein' no whit
- One who is lawful in the absence of an enforced law; one who behaves with integrity. For when the Gentiles which haue not the Law, doe by nature the things contained in the Law: theſe hauing not the Law, are a Law vnto themſelues.
Translations
Every language
noun one who flouts the law or conventional wisdom
| Français | justicier |
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Talk about this word "law unto oneself." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/law%20unto%20oneself. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. law unto oneself. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/law%20unto%20oneself "law unto oneself." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/law%20unto%20oneself.Cite this
@misc{law_unto_oneself_2026,
title = {law unto oneself},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/law%20unto%20oneself},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
