What does LAWFUL mean?

Definitions for LAWFUL
ˈlɔ fəllaw·ful

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word LAWFUL.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. lawfuladjective

    conformable to or allowed by law

    "lawful methods of dissent"

  2. lawful, rule-governedadjective

    according to custom or rule or natural law

  3. true(a), lawful, rightful(a)adjective

    having a legally established claim

    "the legitimate heir"; "the true and lawful king"

  4. lawful, legitimate, licitadjective

    authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law

    "a legitimate government"

Wiktionary

  1. lawfuladjective

    Conforming to, permitted by, or recognised by law or rules.

  2. Etymology: From laweful, equivalent to, conflated with leful, leeful, leveful. See also leveful.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Lawfuladjective

    Agreeable to law; conformable to law; allowed legal by law; legitimate.

    Etymology: law and full.

    It is not lawful for thee to have her. Mat. xiv. 4.

    Gloster’s bastard son was kinder to his father, than my daughters, got ’tween the lawful sheets. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

Wikipedia

  1. lawful

    Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the art of justice. State-enforced laws can be made by a group legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes; by the executive through decrees and regulations; or established by judges through precedent, usually in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals may create legally binding contracts, including arbitration agreements that adopt alternative ways of resolving disputes to standard court litigation. The creation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution, written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people. Legal systems vary between jurisdictions, with their differences analysed in comparative law. In civil law jurisdictions, a legislature or other central body codifies and consolidates the law. In common law systems, judges may make binding case law through precedent, although on occasion this may be overturned by a higher court or the legislature. Historically, religious law has influenced secular matters and is, as of the 21st century, still in use in some religious communities. Sharia law based on Islamic principles is used as the primary legal system in several countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia.The scope of law can be divided into two domains. Public law concerns government and society, including constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal law. Private law deals with legal disputes between individuals and/or organisations in areas such as contracts, property, torts/delicts and commercial law. This distinction is stronger in civil law countries, particularly those with a separate system of administrative courts; by contrast, the public-private law divide is less pronounced in common law jurisdictions.Law provides a source of scholarly inquiry into legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology. Law also raises important and complex issues concerning equality, fairness, and justice.

ChatGPT

  1. lawful

    Lawful refers to something that is in accordance with, conforms to, or is recognized by law or rules. It pertains to something permitted, established, or not prohibited by law, thus legal or legitimate.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Lawfuladjective

    conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent

  2. Lawfuladjective

    constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands

Editors Contribution

  1. lawful

    In compliance with the law.

    The acts of the parliament were in accordance with the law.


    Submitted by MaryC on March 22, 2020  

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce LAWFUL?

How to say LAWFUL in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of LAWFUL in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of LAWFUL in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of LAWFUL in a Sentence

  1. Justice Department:

    We agree with the Court’s conclusion that the program is lawful, and that in passing the USA Freedom Act, Congress provided for a 180 day transition period for the government to continue the existing collection program until the new mechanism of obtaining call detail records is implemented.

  2. President Biden:

    Planes taking off from Kabul are not flying directly to the United States, they’re landing at U.S. military bases and transit centers around the world. At these sites where they are landing, we are conducting thorough scrutiny — security screenings for everyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.

  3. Ken Paxton:

    As federal courts have already ruled three times, there are limits to the President's authority, and those limits enacted by Congress were exceeded when the President unilaterally sought to grant 'lawful presence' to more than 4 million unauthorized aliens who are in this country unlawfully, the Court should affirm what President Obama said himself on more than 20 occasions: that he cannot unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the people's representatives.

  4. Davis Paine:

    The people of Kentucky deserve a fair and honest election. With reports of irregularities, we are exercising the right to ensure that every lawful vote was counted.

  5. Woodward Bernstein:

    Carl and I, and our endless discussions, agree... there is an abundance of overwhelming evidence that this was a criminal conspiracy to subvert a lawful function of government.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

LAWFUL#10000#15598#100000

Translations for LAWFUL

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for LAWFUL »

Translation

Find a translation for the LAWFUL definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"LAWFUL." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 19 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/LAWFUL>.

Discuss these LAWFUL definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for LAWFUL? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    add details to
    A efface
    B embellish
    C elaborate
    D abase

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for LAWFUL: