lawful
English · Thesaurus
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lawful
- /ˈlɔːfl̩/ UK
- /ˈlɔfl̩/ US
- /ˈlɑfl̩/ US, cot caught merger
- /ˈloːfl̩/ Australia, British, New Zealand
- /ˈlɔfl̩/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɔːfʊl
Where it comes from
From Middle English laweful, equivalent to law + -ful, conflated with Middle English leful, leeful, leveful (“according to law, lawful, pertaining to law”). See also leveful.
adjective more lawful · most lawful · lawfull
-
Conforming to, or recognised by the laws of society.
Lawful money is always a land asset and can only be issued by an actual land jurisdiction government — not a corporation.
Similar: just, legal, legitimate, licit · Opposite: nonlawful, unlawful, illicit, crimeful, criminal, illegal, illegitimate, lawbreaking, outlawed, wrongful
- Operating according to some law or fundamental principle. Or would they have it believed, that there is in their ſelves ſome ſuperior ſanctity, ſome peculiar privilege, by which theſe things are lawful to them, which are unlawful to all the world beſides?
- Of a character: having an alignment which makes them tend to follow the laws and conventions of society.
Similar: de jure, lawful, legal, legitimate, licit, rightful · Opposite: forbidden, unlawful
noun lawfuls · lawfull
- A character having a lawful alignment.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: legitimate, legal, rightful, true, observant, orderly, regular, law-abiding, licit, rule-governed, legally, legitimacy, authorised, authorized, justifiable, permitted
Translations
Every language
adj conforming to or recognised by law or rules
| 日本語 | 合法な gōhō na |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 合法的 héfǎ de |
| हिन्दी | विधिक vidhik |
| Kiswahili | halali |
| Português | legal, legalizado |
| Français | légal |
| Deutsch | gesetzlich, legal, rechtsmäßig |
| Română | legal |
| Русский | зако́нный zakónnyj, лега́льный legálʹnyj, правоме́рный pravomérnyj |
| العربية | قانوني qānūniyy |
Talk about this word "lawful." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lawful. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lawful. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lawful "lawful." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lawful.Cite this
@misc{lawful_2026,
title = {lawful},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lawful},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
