lawful — allowed by law; not against the law
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: allowed by law; not against the law
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈlɔːfəl/
Example Sentences
- The police officer assured me that parking here during weekends is perfectly lawful.
- My grandmother insists that taking extra napkins from restaurants is lawful because 'they're free anyway.'
- It's lawful to record conversations in public spaces for personal use.
lawful
ADJECTIVE[/ˈlɔːfəl/]
allowed by law; not against the law
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Lawful originated in Old English from the combination of 'lagu' (law) and 'full' (full, complete). The compound developed to mean 'full of law' or 'governed by law,' ultimately expressing the sense of being in accordance with legal principles.
Breakdown
law (Old English 'lagu', meaning legal code or statute) + -ful (suffix meaning full of, characterized by).
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The police officer assured me that parking here during weekends is perfectly lawful.”
“My grandmother insists that taking extra napkins from restaurants is lawful because 'they're free anyway.'”
“It's lawful to record conversations in public spaces for personal use.”
“The lawyer confirmed that eating someone else's lunch from the office fridge is technically lawful, just morally questionable.”
📚Related Words
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