lawful
AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (4)
- conformable to or allowed by law“lawful methods of dissent”Opposite unlawfulSimilar law-abiding, observantRelates to lawfulnessSee also authorized, legal, straight
- according to custom or rule or natural lawSynonyms: rule-governedOpposite irregularSimilar regular
- having a legally established claim“the true and lawful king”“the rightful heir”Synonyms: truerightfulOpposite illegitimateSimilar legitimate
- authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law“a legitimate government”Synonyms: legitimatelicitOpposite illegalSimilar legal
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
1. Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent.
2. Constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands.
Lawful age, the age when the law recognizes one's right of independent action; majority; — generally the age of twenty-one years. Also called legal age or age of majority.
☞ In some of the States, and for some purposes, a woman attains lawful age at eighteen. Benjamin Vaughan. Abbott
Synonyms: Legal; constitutional; allowable; regular; rightful. — Lawful, Legal. Lawful means conformable to the principle, spirit, or essence of the law, and is applicable to moral as well as juridical law. Legal means conformable to the letter or rules of the law as it is administered in the courts; conformable to juridical law. Legal is often used as antithetical to equitable, but lawful is seldom used in that sense.
— Law′wb-a1′>′ful·ly, adverb — Law′wb-a1′>′ful·ness, noun
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC