Synonyms for lawful
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Legal — conforming to, or recognised by the laws of society
legal informal US, legitimate, licit, just, permissible, constitutional, proper, authorized, authorised UK, fair, allowable, admissible, regular, warrantable, justifiable, equitable
Definitions
- adj. 1
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.
- adj. 2
Operating according to some law or fundamental principle.
Related words
- Word family
- lawfully lawfulness
- Phrases
- lawful money
- Is a kind of
- valid
Choose the right word
Lawful means conformable to the principle, spirit, or essence of the law, and is applicable to moral as well as juridical law. Legal is often used as antithetical to equitable, but lawful is seldom used in that sense.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Example sentences
- constitutional Does Algeria need a complete constitutional reform?
- legitimate Which prince is the legitimate heir to the throne?
- permissible Ziri doesn't eat pork. It's not permissible in Islam.
- competent Could you find me a couple of competent mechanics?
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| lawful | falling | |
| constitutional | steady | |
| legitimate | steady | |
| permissible | falling | |
| licit | rising | |
| competent | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- just1, true1, fair1
- 5 letters
- right1, legal2, licit
- 6 letters
- proper2
- 7 letters
- regular3
- 8 letters
- rightful2
- 9 letters
- competent3, equitable4, allowable4
- 10 letters
- legitimate4, authorized3, authorised, admissible4
- 11 letters
- permissible4, justifiable5, warrantable
- 14 letters
- constitutional5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (legal2 = 2 syllables).