Word family noun law lawyer outlaw lawfulness lawlessness adjective lawful ≠ unlawful verb outlaw adverb lawfully ≠ unlawfully
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlawfullaw‧ful /ˈlɔːfəl $ ˈlɒː-/ ●○○ adjective formal or law LEGALallowed or recognized by law SYN legal It is not lawful to kill or injure a pet animal. a lawful arrest his lawful wife —lawfully adverb —lawfulness noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
lawful• The police may not interfere in lawful demonstrations.• a lawful marriage• The FBI will use all reasonable and lawful means to gather intelligence information.• Protesters must only use lawful methods of opposing the government.• It is lawful to employ someone under the age of sixteen if their parents agree.• 'Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?' intoned the priest. 'I do, ' murmured Carlos.It is ... lawful• If the object is to increase the effective strength of a trade union, it is lawful.• In my judgment it is lawful.• We can not commit an act of war unless it is lawful.From Longman Business Dictionarylawfullaw‧ful /ˈlɔːfəlˈlɒː-/ adjectiveLAW allowed by lawSYNLEGALThe owner has the right to use the property for any lawful purpose. —lawfully adverba product that has been lawfully produced in a member state of the European Union —lawfulness noun [uncountable]Morrison is challenging the lawfulness of the tax demand. 