legality

noun le·gal·i·ty \ li-ˈga-lə-tē \

Definition of legality

plural legalities

1 :attachment to or observance of law

2 :the quality or state of being legal :lawfulness

3 legalities plural :obligations imposed by law

See legality defined for kids

Examples of legality in a Sentence

the senator questioned the legality of the proposed espionage operation

Recent Examples of legality from the Web

Givers must learn aspects of managing grants, successfully investing funds, following tax rules, mastering intricate legalities, and countless other details.

— alfred lubrano, Philly.com, "When you're rich, how do you know how to give your money away?," 22 Aug. 2017
But, in the event that state or federal investigators do examine the legality of Icahn’s role in the early days of the Trump Administration, this heedless revisionism is unlikely to withstand scrutiny.

— bess levin, vanityfair.com, "Can the White House Buy Its Way Out of Trump’s Neo-Nazi Problem?," 21 Aug. 2017
Our concern is one step removed and has to do with the legality of this money.

— sami j. karam, National Review, "A Different Kind of Border Wall," 21 Aug. 2017
The country wouldn't fully abolish slavery until 1833, which is bad, but not as bad as the people who led armies into battle to fight for slavery's legality in 1861.

— dana schwartz, Marie Claire, "A Required Civil War Movie Viewing List for Donald Trump," 18 Aug. 2017
The election's legality has already being challenged in court, and counting was still underway in several electorates even as O'Neill was being sworn in.

— Bloomberg.com, "Papua New Guinea Re-Elects Prime Minister in Chaotic Vote," 2 Aug. 2017
The court has the authority to determine the legality of elections and referenda, and to rule on the validity of laws.

— krishnadev calamur, The Atlantic, "Poland: The EU's Next Big Test," 22 July 2017
The president could turn off the spigot by dropping an appeal of a federal lawsuit filed by the House of Representatives over the payments’ legality.

— paige winfield cunningham, Washington Post, "The Health 202: Past is not prologue for GOP senators who voted for health care repeal before," 19 July 2017
The president could turn off the spigot by dropping an appeal of a federal lawsuit filed by the House over the payments' legality.

— chicagotribune.com, "Affordable Care Act remains intact, but consumers, insurers are left with new worries," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of legality

15th century

legality Synonyms

Synonyms

lawfulness, legitimacy

Antonyms

illegality, illegitimacy, unlawfulness, wrongfulness

Related Words

rightfulness, rightness; permissibility, permissibleness

Near Antonyms

badness, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, sinfulness, unjustness, wickedness, wrongness; criminality, unconstitutionality

Law Dictionary

legality

noun le·gal·i·ty \ li-ˈga-lə-tē \

legal Definition of legality

plural legalities

1 :attachment to or observance of law

2 :the quality or state of being legal :lawfulness

3 plural :obligations imposed by law

Learn More about legality

See words that rhyme with legality Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for legality Spanish Central: Translation of legality Nglish: Translation of legality for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of legality for Arabic speakers

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legality

Definition of legality

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legality Synonyms

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Law Dictionary

legality

legal Definition of legality

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