as in legitimacy
the quality or state of being legal
the lawyers had to work for weeks to determine the lawfulness of the proposed contract
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Recent Examples of lawfulness
Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.
—
Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
But the judges also raised serious doubts about the lawfulness of deployments of other cities.
—Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 17 Dec. 2025
In immigration cases, habeas petitions challenge the lawfulness of continuing to detain an attorney's client.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Maxwell, 63, who recently failed to persuade the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of her conviction and 20-year sentence, intends to represent herself in an upcoming petition challenging the lawfulness of her detention.
—Molly Crane Newman, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Lawyers with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have defended the lawfulness of the arrest and search and are expected to argue that the evidence would have inevitably been recovered during the discovery process ahead of trial.
—Josh Margolin, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2025
The lawfulness of an order is a question of law to be deter¬ mined by the military judge.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
The administration now plans to seek a full review next term on the lawfulness of the executive order itself.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
The High Court of Justice in London dismissed claims from the Wikimedia Foundation, which challenged the lawfulness of the categorization system used to determine which sites must comply with obligations.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025
Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
But the judges also raised serious doubts about the lawfulness of deployments of other cities.
—Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 17 Dec. 2025
In immigration cases, habeas petitions challenge the lawfulness of continuing to detain an attorney's client.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Maxwell, 63, who recently failed to persuade the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of her conviction and 20-year sentence, intends to represent herself in an upcoming petition challenging the lawfulness of her detention.
—Molly Crane Newman, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Lawyers with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have defended the lawfulness of the arrest and search and are expected to argue that the evidence would have inevitably been recovered during the discovery process ahead of trial.
—Josh Margolin, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2025
The lawfulness of an order is a question of law to be deter¬ mined by the military judge.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
The administration now plans to seek a full review next term on the lawfulness of the executive order itself.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
The High Court of Justice in London dismissed claims from the Wikimedia Foundation, which challenged the lawfulness of the categorization system used to determine which sites must comply with obligations.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawfulness
legitimacy
Noun
-
The most damning similarity between Chalabi and Pahlavi is the legitimacy deficit.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
-
They were calculated efforts to deny the regime legitimacy, money, and time.—
Duncan S. DeMarsh,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lawfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawfulness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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