Synonyms for
Legal
Definition
permitted by law; relating to the law
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Formal
Informal
Literary
Antonyms
Common collocations
- legal advice
- legal action
- legal system
- legal document
- legal right
- legal proceedings
- legal status
- legal battle
Word family
Usage note
While 'legal' and 'lawful' are often interchangeable, 'legal' specifically refers to what is permitted by law, whereas 'lawful' can also imply adherence to moral or ethical principles.
Example sentences
- The lawyer explained the legal process to his client.
- The police officer ensured that the arrest was legal.
- The judge ruled that the evidence was obtained through legal means.
- The company followed all legal requirements.
- The legal age to vote is 18.
Quotes
Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished. - Jeremy Bentham
The good lawyer is not the man who has an eye to every side and angle of contingency, but who throws himself on your part so heartily, that he can get you out of a scrape. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The law is not an inflexible structure whose walls restrain progress. Rather, it needs to be like an old tree that bends and adapts to changing winds. - William J. Brennan, Jr.