lawyerlike

1 6.7

Showing the careful, exact way a person who gives legal advice thinks and speaks

adjective
/ˈlɔːjərˌlaɪk/

: abogado

Don't be so lawyerlike!

Examples

He approached the negotiations in a lawyerlike manner, carefully considering every clause.
The report was written in a lawyerlike style, precise and thorough.
Her lawyerlike attention to detail impressed the committee.
Her argument was very lawyerlike in its precision.
The lawyer spoke in a very lawyerlike manner, carefully analyzing every detail of the case.
Her lawyerlike reasoning impressed the jury, as she meticulously presented the evidence.
In the meeting, he gave a lawyerlike response, considering all legal implications before answering.

Synonyms

lawyerly

vslawyerlike

Formal

5 7.0

In a careful, formal way that pays close attention to exact words

is a general resemblance in manner, reasoning, or attention to detail

How Lawyerly

lawyerlike

1 6.7

precise

271 3.6

formal

Formal

374 3.0

informal

100 3.1

Surface Forms

lawyerlike positive

Morphology

lawyerlike = lawyer (transparent) = lawyer + like

Formed productively from the noun 'lawyer' plus the adjectival suffix '-like', meaning 'resembling a lawyer'.

Etymology

Lawyerlike is made from lawyer and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. A lawyer is someone who works with the law, so to be lawyerlike is to act careful, exact, and focused on rules and words, just like a lawyer.