legal
1 of 2adjective
le·gal ˈlē-gəl 
1
: of or relating to law
She has many legal problems.
2
a
: deriving authority from or founded on law : de jure
a legal government
b
: having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact : titular
a corporation is a legal but not a real person
c
: established by law
especially : statutory
the legal test of mental capacity 
K. C. Masteller
K. C. Masteller 3
: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules
The referee said it was a legal play.
Fishing in this lake is legal.
4
: recognized or made effective by a court of law as distinguished from a court of equity
5
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or of one of its members
a bottle … that some legal friend had sent him J. G. Cozzens
J. G. Cozzens6
: created by the constructions of the law
A legal fiction is something assumed in law to be a fact regardless of the truth of that assumption.
legal
2 of 2noun
: one that conforms to rules or the law
Synonyms
Adjective
- lawful
- legit [slang]
- legitimate
- licit
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective She has a lot of legal problems. Do you know your legal rights? The amount of alcohol in his blood exceeded the legal limit. What you did was not legal. “Is it legal to fish in this river?” “Yes, it's perfectly legal.” The referee said it was a legal play. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Melissa Korn, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 The Riverkeeper also asked the court to fine Warrior Met Coal $52,414 per violation of the Clean Water Act and to pay the group’s legal fees. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 15 Sep. 2022 In 2019, the court ordered Oberlin to pay an additional $6.5 million to the bakery to reimburse its legal fees. Fox News, 15 Sep. 2022 Vitale later requested to be awarded $50,000 monthly in spousal support and around $200,000 in legal fees. Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 Connecticut law typically limits punitive damages in a civil trial to the cost of legal fees and trial costs but Judge Bellis could rule that the plaintiffs are entitled to more in connection to the CUTPA claim. Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 Though the suit was settled out of court and Young was awarded $227,000 to cover her legal fees, Hollywood got another stellar entry in its unfounded rumor mill. Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 11 Sep. 2022 The parties will pay their own legal fees, under the settlement. Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2022 Pamela Ricard won $95,000 in damages and legal fees in the settlement with Geary County School District, her attorneys announced Wednesday. Jason Tidd, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2022 Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 As a result, guns are banned in the area, even by those who have legal concealed carry permits. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2020 Many of Florida’s marijuana dispensaries were not ready when Gov. Ron DeSantis made smokable medical marijuana legal in March. Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2019 At the very end of the show, rapper Rico Nasty strutted out with a should-be-legal rolled piece of paper between her fingers. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2019 American Media agreed to give Ms. McDougal back the rights to her story as part of an April legal settlement, but the company insisted that the Men’s Journal cover go forward as planned. WSJ, 27 June 2018 With recreational or medical marijuana legal in 29 states and the nation’s capital, the pot industry employed 121,000 people in the U.S. last year. David Goldstein And Anita Chabria, sacbee, 8 June 2018 An extravagant legal row this week suggests there may be little time left for complacency. The Economist, 7 June 2018 Barrett has asked Columbia to refund her spring term rent and tuition, and originally turned to Equip for Equality, a disability legal and advocacy organization, for help. Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader, 8 Apr. 2018 See More
Adjective
The ruling Thursday is a blow to the federal prosecutors, who notched dozens of guilty pleas in 2019 and 2020, despite legal tussles over exactly what crime was committed by parents and coaches, and who were the victims. Melissa Korn, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 The Riverkeeper also asked the court to fine Warrior Met Coal $52,414 per violation of the Clean Water Act and to pay the group’s legal fees. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 15 Sep. 2022 In 2019, the court ordered Oberlin to pay an additional $6.5 million to the bakery to reimburse its legal fees. Fox News, 15 Sep. 2022 Vitale later requested to be awarded $50,000 monthly in spousal support and around $200,000 in legal fees. Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 Connecticut law typically limits punitive damages in a civil trial to the cost of legal fees and trial costs but Judge Bellis could rule that the plaintiffs are entitled to more in connection to the CUTPA claim. Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 Though the suit was settled out of court and Young was awarded $227,000 to cover her legal fees, Hollywood got another stellar entry in its unfounded rumor mill. Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 11 Sep. 2022 The parties will pay their own legal fees, under the settlement. Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2022 Pamela Ricard won $95,000 in damages and legal fees in the settlement with Geary County School District, her attorneys announced Wednesday. Jason Tidd, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2022 Noun
Truthful information disseminated by the news media about matters of public importance carry the highest legal of protection under the First Amendment. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 As a result, guns are banned in the area, even by those who have legal concealed carry permits. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2020 Many of Florida’s marijuana dispensaries were not ready when Gov. Ron DeSantis made smokable medical marijuana legal in March. Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2019 At the very end of the show, rapper Rico Nasty strutted out with a should-be-legal rolled piece of paper between her fingers. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2019 American Media agreed to give Ms. McDougal back the rights to her story as part of an April legal settlement, but the company insisted that the Men’s Journal cover go forward as planned. WSJ, 27 June 2018 With recreational or medical marijuana legal in 29 states and the nation’s capital, the pot industry employed 121,000 people in the U.S. last year. David Goldstein And Anita Chabria, sacbee, 8 June 2018 An extravagant legal row this week suggests there may be little time left for complacency. The Economist, 7 June 2018 Barrett has asked Columbia to refund her spring term rent and tuition, and originally turned to Equip for Equality, a disability legal and advocacy organization, for help. Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader, 8 Apr. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Anglo-French, from Latin legalis, from leg-, lex law
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
1923, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing legal
Kids Definition
legal
adjective
le·gal ˈlē-gəl
1
: of or relating to law or lawyers
legal books
2
: based on law
a legal right
3
: allowed by law or rules
legal conduct
a legal play in a game
Legal Definition
legal
adjective
le·gal ˈlē-gəl
1
: of or relating to law or the processes of law
a legal question
take legal action
2
a
: deriving authority from or founded on law
a legal tariff rate
a legal government
b
: fulfilling the requirements of law
a legal voter
c
: having a status derived from law : recognized as such by law
a legal certainty
d
: created by operation of especially statutory law
legal incompetence
a legal presumption
compare conventional sense 1, judicial sense 2 e
: established by law
the legal test for mental capacity
3
: conforming to or permitted by law : lawful
a referendum to make gambling legal
4
: recognized or made effective under principles of law as distinguished from principles of equity : deriving from or existing or valid in law as distinguished from equity see also equity compare equitable
5
a
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or one of its members
a corporate legal department
the legal community
b
: of or relating to the study of law
continuing legal education
legal
adjective
1
as in legitimate
permitted by law the congressman's fund-raising efforts, though arguably unethical, were determined to be legal Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- legitimate
- lawful
- regulation
- justifiable
- constitutional
- authorized
- legit
- licit
- allowable
- proper
- good
- statutory
- permissible
- noncriminal
- right
- innocent
- warrantable
- just
- de jure
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- illegal
- unlawful
- wrongful
- criminal
- illicit
- illegitimate
- evil
- immoral
- wrong
- lawless
- bad
- wicked
- sinful
- unauthorized
- prohibited
- forbidden
- unjust
- iniquitous
- guilty
- impermissible
- outlawed
- unconstitutional
- corrupt
- reprobate
- banned
- nonconstitutional
- under-the-table
- under-the-counter
2
as in moral
following or according to the rules the referee declared it a legal play Synonyms & Similar Words
- moral
- ethical
- clean
- fair
- honorable
- sportsmanly
- sportsmanlike
- scrupulous
- law-abiding
- principled
- just
- unimpeachable
- irreproachable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unfair
- dirty
- immoral
- foul
- unethical
- nasty
- wrong
- unscrupulous
- vicious
- unsportsmanlike
- unprincipled
- unrighteous
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of legal are lawful, legitimate, and licit. While all these words mean "being in accordance with law," legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts.
legal residents of the state
The meanings of lawful and legal largely overlap; however, lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon).
the lawful sovereign
In some situations, the words legitimate and legal are roughly equivalent. However, legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards.
a perfectly legitimate question about taxes
The words licit and legal can be used in similar contexts, but licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law.
the licit use of drugs by doctors