law-abiding

comparative more law-abiding · superlative most law-abiding

1. Obeying the laws of society; not a lawbreaker; without a criminal record.

   The law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from government surveillance... unless the government begins to break the law.

   3 more examples

   Most people take the imprint "Not Transferable" for granted when buying railway tickets, and are sufficiently law-abiding not to think of transferring a return half to a relation or friend.

   1959 September 28, N. Caplan, “Not Transferable”, in Railway Magazine, page 646

   In all smuggling places ghost stories abound. Can it be that they were invented to keep law-abiding folk behind closed doors at night, when the deeds were being done?

   1980, Robert Dougall, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 379

   “For any decent, law-abiding citizen, there is no honour in this. None at all. You are a bad man, Mr Goodie. And, worst of all, a bad dad. A very bad dad.” That hit Gilbert like a ton of bricks. He looked over to his son with tears in his eyes, as the judge announced the sentence. “Gilbert Goodie, I sentence you to ten years in prison!”

   2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN