legal

¹le·gal

adjective \ˈlē-gəl\

Definition of LEGAL

1

: of or relating to law

2

a : deriving authority from or founded on law : de jure

b : having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact : titular <a corporation is a legal but not a real person>

c : established by law; especially : statutory

3

: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules

4

: recognized or made effective by a court of law as distinguished from a court of equity

5

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or of one of its members

6

: created by the constructions of the law <a legal fiction>

— le·gal·ly \-gə-lē\ adverb

Examples of LEGAL

1. She has a lot of legal problems.
2. Do you know your legal rights?
3. The amount of alcohol in his blood exceeded the legal limit.
4. What you did was not legal.
5. “Is it legal to fish in this river?” “Yes, it's perfectly legal.”
6. The referee said it was a legal play.

Origin of LEGAL

Anglo-French, from Latin legalis, from leg-, lex law

First Known Use: circa 1500

Related to LEGAL

Synonyms

lawful, legit [slang], legitimate, licit

Antonyms

illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful

Related Words

allowable, authorized, noncriminal, permissible; justifiable, warrantable; constitutional; de jure, regulation, statutory; good, innocent, just, proper, right

Near Antonyms

bad, corrupt, evil, immoral, iniquitous, reprobate, sinful, wicked, wrong; banned, criminal, forbidden, guilty, impermissible, outlawed, prohibited, unauthorized, unjust; under-the-counter, under-the-table; nonconstitutional, unconstitutional

See Synonym Discussion at lawful

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with LEGAL

beagle, eagle, regal, Segal

²legal

noun

Definition of LEGAL

: one that conforms to rules or the law

First Known Use of LEGAL

1526

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi