/ English Dictionary |
LAWLESSNESS
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Illegality as a consequence of unlawful acts; defiance of the law
Synonyms:
lawlessness; outlawry
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("lawlessness" is a kind of...):
illegality (unlawfulness by virtue of violating some legal statute)
Derivation:
lawless (disobedient to or defiant of law)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
Synonyms:
anarchy; lawlessness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("lawlessness" is a kind of...):
disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)
Domain category:
administration; governance; governing; government; government activity (the act of governing; exercising authority)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lawlessness"):
nihilism (complete denial of all established authority and institutions)
Derivation:
lawless (without law or control)
lawless (lax in enforcing laws)