as in legitimate
permitted by law
hunting is a lawful activity only if you have the proper license
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lawful
Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
At minimum, applicants will need to show documentation of their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two pieces of proof of their principal address and lawful status in the country.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 5 May 2025
During our conversation, the lawful permanent resident said a lot about his love for the United States and its promise of freedom.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 May 2025
After 1949, blockading powers were unable to formally reclaim the right to deliberately starve civilians as a lawful weapon of war.
—Boyd Van Dijk, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lawful
Adjective
And so since Trump’s second inauguration, the lives of those who are actively in the process of seeking lawful status, have been put in flux.
—Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
At minimum, applicants will need to show documentation of their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two pieces of proof of their principal address and lawful status in the country.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 5 May 2025
During our conversation, the lawful permanent resident said a lot about his love for the United States and its promise of freedom.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 May 2025
After 1949, blockading powers were unable to formally reclaim the right to deliberately starve civilians as a lawful weapon of war.
—Boyd Van Dijk, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lawful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawful
Adjective
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Update your website's robots.txt file to explicitly allow access to legitimate AI crawlers like OpenAI's GPTBot and Google's AI systems, while still blocking problematic scrapers.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
Two of the best teams in the league, two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, playing each other a month too early but playing each other nonetheless.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Noun
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Above all for the junta leader, domestic legitimacy is key in order to maintain his regime.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
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Of course, in the age of conspiracies and widespread scepticism, questions have been raised around the legitimacy of his age.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Ward's detention on April 21 came amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with valid documentation—including green cards or visas—have been detained and face legal jeopardy.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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In addition to live testimony, the legal team plans to present documents and statements from producers, Sony Pictures and other eyewitnesses.—
Elizabeth Rosner,
People.com,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawful. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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