He is the lawful owner of the company.
Source: tatoeba (290623)
Lawful
Synonyms for "lawful" (278 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (56)
Adjective(17 words)
legitimateabidingaboveboardapprovedcivil order frameworkcivil order guidelinescivil order principlescivil orderingcivil progressionconstitutional authorityconstitutional checks and balancesconstitutional doctrineconstitutional provisionsconstitutional scholarshipconstitutional settlementdanish data protection lawdanish lov
actionableadmissibleallowableallowedapplicableauthenticauthoritativeauthorizedbalancedbindingbona fidecandidcard carryingcard-carryingcogentcompetentconsistentconstitutionalcrazyde jure
Show 4 more words
Noun(13 words)
civil code swedencivil orderedcivil suitcivilized conductcivilly orderedconstitutional amendmentsconstitutional crisisconstitutional federationconstitutional frameworkconstitutional powerconstitutional provisionconstitutional reformsdanish contract law compliance
Verb(1 words)
Adjective(1 words)
de jure
Strong matches (83)
Noun(26 words)
due process orientedgovernmentally administeredhalalhiring contractitalian legittimolaw-related adjectivelawfully conductedlawfully executedlawfully obtainedlawfully regulatedlegal actlegal bodylegal compliancelegal conceptlegal descriptorlegal documentlegal entitylegal frameworklegal groundslegal instrument
Show 6 more words
legal matterlegal orderlegal personhoodlegal proposallegal regulationlegal-code standards
effectualequitableevenevenhandedfairfair and squarefitfollowing the letterformalgenuinegoodhonesthonest-to-godinartificialjudicialjuridicaljustjusticiablejustifiablejustified
Adjective(33 words)
genuine eventjudicial systemjuridical personlaglike swedishlegallegal agreementlegal authenticationlegal burial contextlegal conditionlegal disciplinelegal disputelegal documentslegal domainlegal entitieslegal mandatelegal matterslegal measurelegal mechanismlegal movelegal process
Show 13 more words
legal protectionslegal requirementslegal rightlegal rightslegal rulelegal standardlegal statuseslegal subjectlegal tabletlegal textlegal theorieslegal time limitlegal validity
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (139)
Verb(3 words)
Noun(16 words)
legally valid agreementmore legalmost constitutionalmost legalmost roman citizenlymost swedish lagorder maintaining lawspublic ordersregulatory compliancerule of lawrule-of-law standardsstatutorily compliantstatutorily regulatedstatutory provisionstatutory rulewell governed society
Adjective(28 words)
legislation-basedlegitimate businesslegitimate claimlegitimate sellerlegitimate uselicitnoncriminalnoncriminal provisionorderly societypermittedregulatory actionrightfulrule-governedsanctionedstatutory guidelinestatutory guidelinesstatutory mandatestatutory processstatutory requirementsstatutory tax
legislativelegitlegitimatelegitimizedlevellicitlifelikeliterallogicalmeetmeet and rightmeritednaturalnaturalisticofficialoriginalpermissiblepermittedproperpure
Show 66 more words
realrealisticrightright and properrightfulsanctionablesanctionedself-consistentsimon puresimon-puresimplesinceresolidsoundsquarestatutorysterlingsubstantialsufficientsure enoughsure-enoughtrue to lifetrue to naturetrue to realityunadulteratedunaffectedunassumedunassuminguncoloredunconcocteduncopieduncounterfeitedundisguisedundisguisingundistortedunexaggeratedunfabricatedunfancifulunfeignedunfeigningunfictitiousunflatteringunimaginedunimitateduninventedunpretendedunpretendingunqualifiedunromanticunsimulatedunspeciousunsyntheticunvarnishedvalidverbalverbatimveridicalverisimilarwarrantablewarrantedweightywell-foundedwell-groundedwithin the lawword for wordword-for-word
Adjective(2 words)
Adverb(1 words)
more swedish lag
Determiner(3 words)
more valid reasoningmost civil progress indexmost legal code
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: legitimate, abiding, aboveboard, actionable, admissible.
- Sentence evidence is available for lawful, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "lawful".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "lawful"
Keep "lawful" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "lawful" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "lawful", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "lawful" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
3 entrieslegal conceptlegal termpolicy term
More specific
4 entriesCollocations
5 entrieslawful authoritylawful conductlawful contractlawful ownerlawful search
Inflections
2 entriesmore lawfulmost lawful
Derivations
3 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
10 entriesSample sentences
14 total sentences available.
He recognized his son as lawful heir.
Source: tatoeba (300988)
I think putting thieves to death is not lawful; and it is plain and obvious that it is absurd and of ill consequence to the commonwealth that a thief and a murderer should be equally punished.
Source: tatoeba (733861)
We need to handle this in a lawful manner.
Source: tatoeba (812468)
Showing 4 of 14 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "lawful"?
Closest matches include legitimate, abiding, aboveboard, actionable, admissible.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "lawful"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.