Synonyms of law-abiding

law-abiding

adjective

ˈlȯ-ə-ˌbī-diŋ 

as in obedient

readily giving in to the command or authority of another

the law-abiding citizens of the neighborhood did everything they could to help reduce street crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obedient
• compliant
• docile
• restrained
• submissive
• tractable
• biddable
• amenable
• meek
• conformable
• decorous
• gentle
• repressed
• amiable
• controllable
• dutiful
• soft
• obliging
• acquiescent
• subordinate
• orderly
• tame
• agreeable
• servile
• disciplined
• governable
• obsequious
• subservient
• surrendering
• yielding
• mannerly
• manageable
• constrained
• slavish
• duteous
• mild
• fawning
• placable
• teachable
• obeisant
• inhibited
• trainable
• kowtowing
• disciplinable
• curbed
• handleable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rebellious
• recalcitrant
• wayward
• defiant
• unruly
• disobedient
• willful
• contrary
• restive
• noncompliant
• refractory
• insubordinate
• intractable
• obstreperous
• contumacious
• rebel
• stubborn
• ungovernable
• insurgent
• mutinous
• obstinate
• untoward
• wild
• headstrong
• balky
• hardheaded
• obdurate
• unyielding
• uncontrollable
• peevish
• dogged
• mulish
• defiant
• unmanageable
• resistant
• unamenable
• disorderly
• incompliant
• perverse
• mischievous
• bad
• froward
• naughty
• errant
• pigheaded
• undisciplined
• self-willed
• dissident
• balky
• nonconformist
• insolent
• impudent
• disrespectful
• rude
• impolite
• misbehaving
• ill-bred
• ill-mannered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of law-abiding

In the past, immigration authorities could exercise their discretion by not focusing resources on people who were otherwise law-abiding and maybe had a family, Dougherty said. — Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2026

Californians are paying nearly seven dollars a gallon for gas, struggling under crushing housing and energy costs, watching businesses flee the state, and seeing government increasingly prioritize ideological activism over the needs of law-abiding citizens. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 21 May 2026

Why should law-abiding citizens have to pay for the irresponsible actions of others? — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 18 May 2026

But some have pushed back on the administration's aggressive tactics and raised concerns that the catchall efforts could needlessly punish law-abiding providers that are trying to serve patients. — ABC News, 13 May 2026