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
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Recent Examples of law-abiding
Getaway cars very rarely are known for their safe, law-abiding driving.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Insist that the federal government deploy those resources to get the violent offenders who are killing, assaulting and robbing law-abiding citizens on the city’s South and West sides.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
That question is of critical importance to tens of millions of law-abiding AR–15 owners throughout the country.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Putting criminals away to keep them from terrorizing law-abiding citizens and preventing inmates from engaging in criminal activity from prison are critical to addressing the region’s violent crime epidemic, and therefore giving people freedom to go about their lives without fear of victimization.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for law-abiding
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Insist that the federal government deploy those resources to get the violent offenders who are killing, assaulting and robbing law-abiding citizens on the city’s South and West sides.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
That question is of critical importance to tens of millions of law-abiding AR–15 owners throughout the country.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Putting criminals away to keep them from terrorizing law-abiding citizens and preventing inmates from engaging in criminal activity from prison are critical to addressing the region’s violent crime epidemic, and therefore giving people freedom to go about their lives without fear of victimization.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for law-abiding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for law-abiding
obedient
Adjective
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The obedient Tessa has been tasked with capturing the Kalisk and bringing it back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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Back home, Judomaster was as obedient to authority as Chris is.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Law-abiding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/law-abiding. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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