legalistically
1
8.0
- adverb
- /ˌliːɡəˈlɪstɪkli/
- We can't always think legalistically; sometimes, we need to understand the spirit of the law rather than just the words.
Examples
-
It's like everybody thinks legalistically now, and when given an instruction that says they can use their conscience, they start to pick at that to decide, "Hmmm... exactly what does that mean?"
Blog text (20) -
Duranty here slyly qualified, legalistically, his previous unconditional endorsement.
Academic text (1991) -
This inclination was reinforced by a tendency to think legalistically.
Academic text (1991) -
"It may be society wants an answer and a trial is one way of learning the truth, or it may be we are just naturally a political people who are legalistically minded," he says.
Academic text (2000) -
We think legalistically, rights, equality, etc., without pondering what it is homosexuals do to each other.
Blog text (8) -
With mounting anxiety, I realized that all I knew about them was contained in a cryptic, legalistically phrased statement in the original letter of invitation.
Academic text (1999) -
Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil" (speech to Harvard 1978).
Blog text (19) -
To argue that the government of Ecuador should therefore stand aside and let the species be destroyed is to be not only naively legalistic, but also legalistically naive.
Academic text (2003) -
The lawyer approached the case legalistically, focusing only on the letter of the law and ignoring the broader implications.
-
In discussions about welfare, some politicians argue legalistically, emphasizing rules over the needs of people.
Synonyms
477
4.8
Something is true by the exact rules or facts, not by how people usually think
144
3.7
Someone acts in a careful way that follows rules exactly
In a strict, rule-following way that ignores feeling
Antonyms
How Rule-Focused
1
6.0
1
8.0
- Formal
1
7.4
- Formal
150
3.7
54
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
legalistically = legalistic (transparent) = legal + istic + ally
Formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ally' to 'legalistic'; the meaning ('in a legalistic manner') is predictable from the adjective base.
Etymology
The word legalistically starts with legal, which means 'of the law', and ends with -istically, a part that turns it into 'in a way'. So, to act legalistically is to follow the exact words of the law or rules, often without thinking about the wider purpose.