lawful
lawful — 形容詞
1. approved or allowed by the official rules or legal system of a country.
合法的
法律所允許的
approved or allowed by the official rules or legal system of a country.
The court decided that the protest was a lawful way to express public concerns.
法院裁定，該抗議活動是表達公眾關切的合法方式。
attributive: lawful + noun (way)
Downloading music from that website is not lawful under current copyright rules.
根據現行著作權法規，從那個網站下載音樂是不合法的。
predicative: be + lawful + under [rule]
Quan asked the lawyer whether his plan to build a garage was lawful.
Quan 詢問律師，他建造車庫的計畫是否合法。
Marta runs a lawful business that pays all of its taxes on time.
Marta 經營一家合法的事業，按時繳納所有稅款。
Parents have a lawful duty to make sure their children go to school.
父母有合法義務確保子女按時上學。
- legal
more common in everyday language; 'lawful' is more formal and restricted to legal/official contexts
- legitimate
adds a sense of moral or logical rightness beyond mere legal permission
- permissible
narrower — refers to what is allowed within a specific set of rules, not necessarily the law of the land
文法句型
lawful + noun (attributive)
be/seem/remain + lawful (predicative)
用法筆記
Frequently used in formal and legal contexts rather than everyday conversation. The negative form 'unlawful' is common in legal writing.
常見錯誤
2. officially recognized by a country's legal system as having rightful authority o
法定的
依法成立或具有正當權利的
officially recognized by a country's legal system as having rightful authority or a valid claim to something.
After the king's death, his eldest son became the lawful ruler of the kingdom.
國王去世後，他的長子成為該王國的法定統治者。
collocation: lawful ruler
The house was finally returned to its lawful owner after years of court battles.
經過多年訴訟，這棟房子終於歸還給了它的法定所有人。
collocation: lawful owner
Isabela proved that she was the lawful heir to her grandmother's farm in the mountains.
Isabela 證明了她才是祖母那座山間農場的法定繼承人。
Only the lawful government can sign treaties or declare war on behalf of the people.
只有法定政府才能代表人民簽署條約或宣戰。
The shareholders voted to restore the company's lawful board of directors.
股東們投票決定恢復該公司合法的董事會。
- rightful
focuses on moral and legal entitlement; interchangeable with 'lawful' in ownership contexts but less common in legal writing
- legitimate
suggests both legal and moral acceptance, often used for governments or authorities
- authorized
emphasizes official permission given by a person or body, not necessarily by law itself
- illegitimate
opposite of legitimate; suggests lack of legal or moral right
- unauthorized
focuses on lack of official permission rather than legal standing
文法句型
lawful + noun (attributive)
be + the + lawful + noun (predicative with article)
用法筆記
Typically used with nouns indicating a person's position or claim: owner, heir, government, ruler, representative. Not used for everyday permissions or actions.
常見錯誤
3. describing a person who follows and respects the laws of a country or community
守法的
遵守法律的
describing a person who follows and respects the laws of a country or community without breaking them.
Samir has always been a lawful citizen who never gets into trouble with the police.
Samir 一直是個守法的公民，從不惹上警察的麻煩。
collocation: lawful citizen
The lawyer told her client to stay lawful and avoid breaking any rules.
律師告訴她的當事人要守法，避免違反任何規定。
predicative: stay + lawful
A lawful driver always stops at red lights and follows the speed limits.
守法的駕駛人總是紅燈停車，並遵守速限。
Zuri's family are lawful residents who pay taxes and follow all the local regulations.
Zuri 一家是守法居民，按時納稅並遵守所有當地法規。
The shopkeeper described himself as a lawful businessman who never cheats his customers.
店主說自己是一個守法的商人，從不欺騙顧客。
- law-abiding
more common in everyday English for describing people; 'lawful' is more formal
- honest
broader — covers moral behavior beyond just following the law; not limited to legal compliance
- upstanding
adds a sense of moral integrity and social responsibility; more emphatic
文法句型
lawful + noun (person/citizen/resident)
be/remain/stay + lawful (predictive for character)
用法筆記
Describes a person's character or habitual behavior, not a single action. You would say 'a lawful citizen' but not 'a lawful driver' for someone who simply drove safely once.