as in legitimate
permitted by law
hunting is a lawful activity only if you have the proper license
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in legitimacy
the quality or state of being legal
the lawyers had to work for weeks to determine the lawfulness of the proposed contract
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lawful
Andrea Hsu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
The guidance immediately affects people applying for lawful permanent status, foreign student visas and others affiliated with educational institutions, according to the release.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2025
When is a lawful arrest a kidnapping?
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lawful
Adjective
The court did not rule on whether the probationary firings were lawful.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
The guidance immediately affects people applying for lawful permanent status, foreign student visas and others affiliated with educational institutions, according to the release.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2025
When is a lawful arrest a kidnapping?
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lawful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawful
Adjective
-
The nation-state is widely seen as the most legitimate, successful, and just form of political order, but Pagden catalogs the often violent and coercive ways in which cultural and ethnic groups were corralled into sovereign territorial states.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The president cannot weaponize the IRS by directing audits or stripping away tax-exempt status without due process and legitimate reasons.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But there had been widespread scepticism about the legitimacy of their victory four years earlier, and triumphing away from home soil was set to be much more difficult.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Recognizing Russia's control of Crimea would deliver a major win for Putin, who has long pushed for international legitimacy over the territory.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Supreme Court recently banned race-conscious admissions, for example, and many colleges have moved to end race-specific scholarships after facing legal challenges.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The showdown is the most significant legal challenge brought against Meta in the company's roughly 20-year history.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawful. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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