lawfulness

English

Etymology

From Middle English laufulnes, lahfulnesse, equivalent to lawful +‎ -ness.

Noun

lawfulness (countable and uncountable, plural lawfulnesses)

  1. Property of being lawful, of obeying the law.
    His extreme lawfulness made him righteous, but did it make him merciful?
  2. Property of operating in a manner organized by certain laws.
    • 1961, Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy:
      The process of psychotherapy […] is a unique and dynamic experience, different for each individual, yet exhibiting a lawfulness and order which is astonishing in its generality.
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