Synonyms of legal

legal

adjective

ˈlē-gəl 

1

as in legitimate

permitted by law

the congressman's fund-raising efforts, though arguably unethical, were determined to be legal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• legitimate
• lawful
• justifiable
• regulation
• authorized
• constitutional
• legit
• licit
• allowable
• good
• permissible
• proper
• statutory
• noncriminal
• right
• warrantable
• innocent
• just
• de jure

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• illegal
• unlawful
• wrongful
• illicit
• criminal
• illegitimate
• wrong
• evil
• bad
• immoral
• corrupt
• wicked
• prohibited
• sinful
• guilty
• unauthorized
• forbidden
• unjust
• lawless
• impermissible
• iniquitous
• unconstitutional
• reprobate
• outlawed
• banned
• under-the-table
• under-the-counter
• nonconstitutional

2

as in moral

following or according to the rules

the referee declared it a legal play

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moral
• ethical
• clean
• fair
• honorable
• sportsmanly
• sportsmanlike
• scrupulous
• principled
• law-abiding
• just
• unimpeachable
• irreproachable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfair
• dirty
• foul
• nasty
• wrong
• immoral
• unethical
• unscrupulous
• vicious
• unsportsmanlike
• unprincipled
• unrighteous

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

Recent Examples of legal

The report notes that legal challenges have already successfully stopped deployments to some cities, altering the operational landscape and the resulting financial obligations. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026

This does not prevent the sports-media ecosystem from orbiting around prediction-making, an obsession that has only ballooned in the age of legal sports betting. —Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026

Spain, instead, frames it as a governance problem, one that requires institutional capacity, legal pathways and administrative realism rather than more detention centers and externalized borders. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026

It is not intended as legal, financial, medical or professional advice. —Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026

Phrases Containing legal

• legal eagle
• legal tender