Meanings
plural lawfulnesses
- countableuncountableProperty of being lawful, of obeying the law.
His extreme lawfulness made him righteous, but did it make him merciful?
Antonyms: legalness, legality, legalness, unlawfulness, lawlessness, unlaw, illegality, illegalness
- countableuncountableProperty of operating in a manner organized by certain laws, such as laws of nature.
The process of psychotherapy […] is a unique and dynamic experience, different for each individual, yet exhibiting a lawfulness and order which is astonishing in its generality.
1961, Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounProperty of being lawful, of obeying the law.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishlaufulnes
- Englishlawfulness
From Middle English laufulnes, lahfulnesse, equivalent to lawful + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
lawfulness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawfulness
“lawfulness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawfulness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lawfulness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawfulness.
Source: lawfulness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.