Lawless

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈlɔːləs/

Definitions

1. Operating without regard for laws or rules; characterized by disorder and a lack of legal control
2. Not constrained by legal regulations or rules ; showing a state of chaos or absence of order
3. Without adherence to formal laws or legal authority ; exhibiting uncontrolled confusion and disorder

Etymology: "Lawless" is a plain compound, built from "law" and the suffix "-less," which meant "without" or "lacking." The pairing goes back to Old English, where "lēas" (the source of "-less") meant "devoid of" or "free from," and was attached to nouns to describe something missing. Its later Middle English form, "laweles," followed the same pattern, so the word means literally "without law." The base noun "law" has a longer, more tangled ancestry. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word that was borrowed into Old Norse as "lag," meaning something laid down or fixed, which is the same root as "lay." English "law" comes from Old English "lagu," so the idea behind the word is of something set in place by authority. Scandinavian languages built the same word independently in their own forms, with Danish "lovløs," Swedish "laglös," and Icelandic "löglaus" all meaning lawless. The parallel suggests the compound pattern was natural across the Germanic languages rather than a single borrowing.

Synonyms: anarchic, unlawful, chaotic, disorderly

Antonyms: lawful, orderly, controlled