Definition of legalnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word legal different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of legal are lawful, legitimate, and licit. While all these words mean "being in accordance with law," legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts.

legal residents of the state

When can lawful be used instead of legal?

The meanings of lawful and legal largely overlap; however, lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon).

the lawful sovereign

Where would legitimate be a reasonable alternative to legal?

In some situations, the words legitimate and legal are roughly equivalent. However, legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards.

a perfectly legitimate question about taxes

When would licit be a good substitute for legal?

The words licit and legal can be used in similar contexts, but licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law.

the licit use of drugs by doctors

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legal In September 2025, the Murdoch family announced the settlement of a long-running legal dispute that left Lachlan Murdoch, the elder son of Rupert, in control of voting shares for both News Corp and Fox Corp. Todd Spangler, Variety, 20 May 2026 The group said that its lawyers and other volunteers were providing legal advice to activists in the port city of Ashdod and were demanding their immediate release. Nick Duffy, NBC news, 20 May 2026 Settlers moving West had used various tactics since Colonial times to advance despite the presence of Native Americans, whether through legal moves such as treaties or by instigating conflicts, Andrews said. Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Along with the survey results, the CDT warned of privacy, legal and ethical risks around using AI. Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for legal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal
Adjective
  • Taiwan is its integral part, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 20 May 2026
  • Yet many of the investment deals on offer are sketchy and tenuously legitimate—the digital equivalent of a man in a trenchcoat offering his wares on the sidewalk.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
  • The intricacies of that Pirandellian parlor game — the fun of figuring out what portion of this film’s moral and narrative faults belong to each of its three writer/directors — is only so much fun because of how deliberately Almodóvar is willing to assume some of the blame for himself.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Adjective
  • The biggest challenge will be to rebuild the office by recruiting the highest quality staff and attorneys, and establishing an ethical culture of serving the needs of the state rather than an ideological agenda.
    Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
  • That’s why Cavadini and others are looking forward to the imminent release of Pope Leo XIV’s first major encyclical, expected to address the growing ethical and moral challenges of artificial intelligence.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • In the first battle of what could be many, Yesavage came out clean.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • But there’s ephemera in the spiritual sense of craft—the spare remarks and objects that constitute the overflow cut for cleaner syntax or word count.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • Those could be explicit requirements for a map to appear to be fair by certain statistical measures of partisanship.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • The South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions Wednesday primarily focused on how a county clerk’s improper comments to the jury violated his right to a fair trial.
    Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Legal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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