When a president or a governor acts wisely and lawfully, Americans express their approval by reelecting him and by supporting his political party.
Source: tatoeba (275922)
Lawfully
Synonyms for "lawfully" (46 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Adverb(6 words)
Noun(4 words)
governably regulatedgovernmentally approvedgovernmentally mandatedgovernmentally regulated industry
Strong matches (13)
Adverb(5 words)
Noun(8 words)
lawfully conductedlawfully obtainedlegally mandatedlegally requiredlegally valid agreementlegitimately earnedmore common-lawmore lawful
Related words (23)
Noun(10 words)
more legalmost common-lawmost constitutionalmost lawfulmost legalmost statutorilymost statutorystatutorily authorizedstatutorily compliantstatutorily required
Adjective(2 words)
more legal-rulemore tax statute
Determiner(1 words)
most criminal-law
Adverb(10 words)
officiallypeaceablypermissiblyproperlyproperly grounded wiringresponsiblyrightfullystatutorilystatutorily authorized agencyvalidly
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: legally, allowably, constitutionally, de jure, duly.
- Sentence evidence is available for lawfully, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse.
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 "lawfully".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "lawfully"
Keep "lawfully" 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 "lawfully" 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 "lawfully", 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 "lawfully" 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
2 entriesadverbadverb of manner
More specific
4 entriesCollocations
6 entrieslawfully authorizedlawfully conductedlawfully executedlawfully obtainedlawfully permittedlawfully regulated
Derivations
3 entriesAntonyms
2 entriesSample sentences
4 total sentences available.
Lawfully judged.
Source: tatoeba (6333920)
This grand ceremony was immediately followed by a proclamation expreſsly forbidding the Abyſſine clergy, monks, and prieſts, to perform any prieſtly functions till they were previouſly examined and approved by the patriarch ; there being ſome reaſon to doubt whether they had been lawfully examined.
Source: wiktionary
He was sent to Guantánamo in 2002, and Judge Kollar-Kotelly found that from the beginning of his stay, “there is no evidence in the record that anyone directed any allegations toward al-Rabiah nor any indication that interrogators believed al-Rabiah had engaged in any conduct that made him lawfully detainable.”
Source: wiktionary
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "lawfully"?
Closest matches include legally, allowably, constitutionally, de jure, duly.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "lawfully"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.