lawlessness
- noun
- /ˈlɔːləsnəs/
- After the police were withdrawn, lawlessness reigned in the city, leaving residents feeling unsafe.
- violence and lawlessness
- rampant lawlessness
- corruption and lawlessness
And I have to say, I've had enough of the lawlessness and the disrespect of our country.
- And I have to say, I've had enough of the lawlessness and the disrespect of our country.
- It was an absolute display of corruption and lawlessness.
- And one of the key, one of the key statements in there is lawlessness will abound.
- I've said Christian Craighead is a bad example to young soldiers because his meeting near attitude promotes lawlessness in the military.
- Theoretical reflections, lawlessness and self defensive subjectivity.
- It's, it's complete chaos and lawlessness and, and just, it's sad.
Examples
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Three factors, all intertwined, came together to push Colombia to the brink of complete lawlessness.
Academic text (2004) -
The Sonora Desert and the northern border towns have long been infamous for their lawlessness.
Academic text (2012) -
You see, well, the lawlessness that you guys were trying to keep out of here, and now it's right here within.
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It's, it's complete chaos and lawlessness and, and just, it's sad.
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In my opinion, they should be removed for their lawlessness regarding fiscal responsibility.
Blog text (5) -
Obviously this lawlessness breeds other lawlessness.
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Day after day... ...crime, lawlessness and evil are running rampant.
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Let it be known from this day forth that lawlessness will not be tolerated.
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We tolerated lawlessness in the land until it grew to diabolical proportions.
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The most obvious manifestation of these distortions was rampant lawlessness and the loss of great numbers of lives.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
A situation with no government and much disorder
Refusing to obey rules or people in charge
Doing things that are illegal
An action that does not follow the law
Not following the law
A tendency to be difficult to control and to disobey rules
Noisy actions by people who do not follow rules or order
Antonyms
How Lawless
- Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word lawlessness is made from law meaning 'rules', -less meaning 'without' as in homeless, and -ness which turns it into a noun. So lawlessness is the state of being 'without law', which is why it means 'disorder' or 'chaos'.