lawful — law·ful adj 1 a: being in harmony with the law a lawful judgment a lawful purpose b: constituted, authorized, or established by law a lawful duty 2: law abiding … Law dictionary
lawful — lawful, legal, legitimate, licit mean permitted, sanctioned, or recognized by law or the law. Lawful differs from the others in implying a reference to various sorts of law (as divine law, natural law, or the law of the land, or as civil law,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Lawful — Law ful, a. 1. Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent. [1913 Webster] 2. Constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands. [1913 Webster] {Lawful age}, the age when the law recognizes one s right of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
lawful — law‧ful [ˈlɔːfl ǁ ˈlɒː ] adjective LAW allowed by law; = LEGAL: • The owner has the right to use the property for any lawful purpose. lawfully adverb : • a product that has been lawfully produced in a member state of the European Union… … Financial and business terms
lawful — [lô′fəl] adj. 1. in conformity with the principles of the law; permitted by law [a lawful act]: see also LEGAL (sense 2) 2. recognized by or established by law [lawful debts] 3. obeying the law; law abiding SYN. LEGAL lawfully adv. lawfulness n … English World dictionary
lawful — c.1300, laghful; Cf. O.N. logfullr (see LAW (Cf. law)). Related: Lawfully; lawfulness … Etymology dictionary
lawful — [adj] allowable, legitimate authorized, bona fide, canonical, card carrying*, commanded, condign, constitutional, decreed, due, enacted, enforced, enjoined, established, innocent, judged, judicial, jural, juridical, jurisprudent, just,… … New thesaurus
lawful — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules. DERIVATIVES lawfully adverb lawfulness noun … English terms dictionary
lawful — Legal; warranted or authorized by the law; having the qualifications prescribed by law; not contrary to nor forbidden by the law; not illegal. The principal distinction between the terms lawful and legal is that the former contemplates the… … Black's law dictionary
lawful — Legal; warranted or authorized by the law; having the qualifications prescribed by law; not contrary to nor forbidden by the law; not illegal. The principal distinction between the terms lawful and legal is that the former contemplates the… … Black's law dictionary
lawful — adjective Date: 14th century 1. a. being in harmony with the law < a lawful judgment > b. constituted, authorized, or established by law ; rightful < lawful institutions > 2. law abiding < lawful citizens > • … New Collegiate Dictionary
