Legal — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈlē-gəl/ le·gal

Meaning & Definition of Legal

Legal (adjective)

  1. of or relating to law
  2. deriving authority from or founded on law, de jure
  3. having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact, titular

Legal (noun)

  1. one that conforms to rules or the law

Legal (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. permitted by law

    "the congressman's fund-raising efforts, though arguably unethical, were determined to be legal"

    similar: lawful, legit (slang), legitimate, licit
    related: allowable, authorized, noncriminal, permissible, justifiable, warrantable, constitutional, de jure, regulation, statutory, good, innocent, just, proper, right
    opposite: illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful
    near: bad, corrupt, evil, immoral, iniquitous, reprobate, sinful, wicked, wrong, banned, criminal, forbidden, guilty, impermissible, outlawed, prohibited, unauthorized, unjust, under-the-counter, under-the-table, nonconstitutional, unconstitutional

  2. following or according to the rules

    "the referee declared it a legal play"

    similar: clean, fair, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly
    related: just, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, scrupulous, honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable
    opposite: dirty, foul, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike
    near: immoral, unethical, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous, vicious, wrong

Related Entry: Legal eagle (noun)

Legal eagle is a different word from Legal. The synonyms below are for legal eagle, not for legal.

  1. a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise about legal rights and obligations

    "the actor hired a dream team of high-priced legal eagles to defend him against the charges"

    similar: advocate, attorney, attorney-at-law, counsel, counselor, counselor-at-law, lawyer
    related: cocounsel, district attorney, prosecuting attorney, prosecutor, solicitor, criminal lawyer, mouthpiece (slang), public defender, trial lawyer, jurist, lawgiver, lawmaker, legislator, solon, ambulance chaser, pettifogger, Philadelphia lawyer, shyster

Related Entry: Legal tender (noun)

Legal tender is a different word from Legal. The synonyms below are for legal tender, not for legal.

  1. something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment

    "coins and bills are considered legal tender, but postage stamps are not"

    similar: bread (slang), bucks, cabbage (slang), cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, green, jack (slang), kale (slang), lolly (British), long green (slang), loot, lucre, money, moola (slang), needful, pelf, scratch (slang), shekels, tender, wampum
    related: coinage, specie, dead presidents (slang), folding money, paper money, scrip, banknote, cashier's check, check, draft, money order, note, promissory note, bill, dollar, greenback, bankroll, capital, finances, funds, roll (slang), wad, wallet, chump change, dibs (slang), dime, mite, peanuts, pittance, shoestring, big bucks, bomb (British), boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, packet (chiefly British), pile, pot, abundance, means, opulence, riches, treasure, wealth, resources, wherewithal, mad money, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

Related Entry: Legal holiday (noun)

Legal holiday is a different word from Legal. The synonyms below are for legal holiday, not for legal.

  1. as in feast, holy day

    similar: feast, holy day, interim, intermission, interval, idling, loafing, lounging, slacking, breather, relaxation, respite, rest, furlough, liberty, sabbatical, break, holiday (chiefly British), hols (British), leave, recess, vacation

Related Entry: Legal holidays (noun)

Legal holidays is a different word from Legal. The synonyms below are for legal holidays, not for legal.

  1. as in feasts, holy days

    similar: feasts, holy days, interims, intermissions, intervals, breathers, relaxations, respites, rests, furloughs, liberties, sabbaticals, breaks, holidays (chiefly British), hols (British), leaves, recesses, vacations

Related Entry: Legal eagles (noun)

Legal eagles is a different word from Legal. The synonyms below are for legal eagles, not for legal.

  1. a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise about legal rights and obligations

    "the actor hired a dream team of high-priced legal eagles to defend him against the charges"

    similar: advocates, attorneys, attorneys-at-law, counselors, counselors-at-law, counsels, lawyers
    related: cocounsels, district attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, prosecutors, solicitors, criminal lawyers, mouthpieces (slang), public defenders, trial lawyers, jurists, lawgivers, lawmakers, legislators, solons, ambulance chasers, pettifoggers, Philadelphia lawyers, shysters

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Legal

The most common words with a similar meaning to Legal:

Slang: legit
lawful, legitimate, licit, clean, fair, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Legal

Words with the opposite meaning of Legal:

illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful, dirty, foul, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike

Related Words for Legal

allowable, authorized, noncriminal, permissible, justifiable, warrantable, constitutional, de jure, regulation, statutory, good, innocent, just, proper, right, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, scrupulous, honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable

Near Antonyms of Legal

bad, corrupt, evil, immoral, iniquitous, reprobate, sinful, wicked, wrong, banned, criminal, forbidden, guilty, impermissible, outlawed, prohibited, unauthorized, unjust, under-the-counter, under-the-table, nonconstitutional, unconstitutional, unethical, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous, vicious

Origin & Etymology of Legal

Anglo-French, from Latin legalis, from leg-, lex law

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Legal

Words & Phrases Containing Legal

legal age, legal aid, legal eagle, legal holiday, legal pad, legal reserve, legal tender, legal action

Frequently Asked Questions about Legal

What does "Legal" mean?

"Legal" means of or relating to law. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: of or relating to law. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Legal"?

Other words for "Legal" include lawful, legit, legitimate, licit, clean, fair, sportsmanlike and sportsmanly. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Legal" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Legal"?

There are 31 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Legal". Common alternatives include lawful, legit, legitimate, licit, clean, fair, sportsmanlike and sportsmanly.

What is the opposite of "Legal"?

Antonyms of "Legal" include illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful, dirty and foul. Near antonyms include bad, corrupt, evil and immoral.

How do you use "Legal" in a sentence?

Examples of "Legal" in a sentence: "the congressman's fund-raising efforts, though arguably unethical, were determined to be legal"; "the referee declared it a legal play".

Is "Legal" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Legal" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Legal" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Legal" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Legal"?

"Legal" is pronounced /ˈlē-gəl/ and divided into syllables as le·gal.