natural law

noun

Definition of natural law

: a body of law or a specific principle held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law

Examples of natural law in a Sentence

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Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook won’t fix itself," 15 Nov. 2018 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook won’t fix itself," 15 Nov. 2018 But a really good fusion should feel predestined, like the product of some natural law. — Sam Anderson, New York Times, "New Sentences: From ‘How to Break Up With Your Phone’," 18 Apr. 2018 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook won’t fix itself," 15 Nov. 2018 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook won’t fix itself," 15 Nov. 2018 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook won’t fix itself," 15 Nov. 2018 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook and Twitter’s midterm task: fighting off online efforts to suppress the vote," 3 Nov. 2018 Founded in 2009, the institute is devoted to the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th Century Dominican friar associated with natural law, a moral philosophy that undergirds much of contemporary conservative legal thought. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Justice Neil Gorsuch’s Speech to Catholic Group Closed to the Media," 18 Oct. 2018

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

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The first known use of natural law was in the 15th century

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natural law

noun

Legal Definition of natural law

: a body of law or a specific principle of law that is held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law

Note: While natural law, based on a notion of timeless order, does not receive as much credence as it did formerly, it was an important influence on the enumeration of natural rights by Thomas Jefferson and others.