Word
lawful
Phoneticslaw·ful, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɫɔfəɫ/
UK/lˈɔːfəl/
Definitions
01legal or allowed
B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal
adj. allowed by the law or following the official rules of a country.
adj. conforming to, permitted by, or recognised by the law.
“The police confirmed that the protest was a lawful assembly.”
“The court ruled that the seizure of the documents was a lawful exercise of police power under the current emergency legislation.”
Usage
Often used in formal or legal documents rather than everyday conversation.
Synonyms
02moral alignment
C1 · Advanced Informal · Slang
adj. describing a character who follows a strict code of rules or laws.
adj. denoting a character alignment that emphasises honour, logic, and obedience to authority or a personal code.
“He always plays a lawful character who never breaks his promises.”
“In many role-playing games, a lawful character is expected to uphold the social order even when it conflicts with their personal desires.”
Teaching tip
This sense is specific to gaming culture (like Dungeons & Dragons) and is very common in internet memes about 'alignment charts'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03a principled character
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Informal · Slang
n. a person or character who follows the laws and rules.
n. a character or individual possessing a lawful alignment within a fictional or gaming framework.
“The party needed a lawful to balance out the more unpredictable members.”
“As a lawful, she found it difficult to justify the rogue's constant thievery to the rest of the group.”
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“The court did not decide whether the search was lawful.” “After a challenge, the practice was ruled lawful by the European Court of Human Rights.” “Her social workers were left with no lawful options.” Etymology
From Middle English laweful, equivalent to law + -ful, conflated with Middle English leful, leeful, leveful (“according to law, lawful, pertaining to law”). See also leveful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/lawful