law-abiding

/ˈlɔː əbaɪdɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɔː əbaɪdɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlȯ-ə-ˌbī-diŋ/ (ame, mw)

law-abiding — adjective

1. used for a person or group that follows legal rules and avoids illegal acts

1.形容詞B2
釋義

used for a person or group that follows legal rules and avoids illegal acts

例句

After moving to Taipei, Kabir kept every tax record and stayed law-abiding.

predicative use after 'stay'

The judge said Roya had been law-abiding for twenty years before the accident.

shows a long record of legal behaviour

同義詞
  • lawful

    usually describes actions, situations, or authority that the law allows, not a person's general character

  • upright

    broader moral word for being honest and honorable, not specifically about obeying the law

  • obedient

    focuses on following orders from a person in authority, not specifically legal rules

反義詞
  • lawless

    describes people or places where rules are ignored or broken openly

  • criminal

    describes a person who breaks the law, often seriously or repeatedly

  • disorderly

    focuses on causing trouble or breaking social order, not always on crime

文法句型

law-abiding citizen

be/stay/remain law-abiding

用法筆記

Usually used about citizens, residents, families, or groups in contrast with people who break rules or commit crimes. It often appears before nouns like 'citizen' and 'community', or after linking verbs such as 'be', 'stay', and 'remain'.

常見錯誤

❌She is law-abiding to the rules.
✅She is law-abiding.' / 'She obeys the rules.
💡'law-abiding' does not take 'to'; the adjective already includes the idea of following rules.
❌He is a law-abidingly driver.
✅He is a law-abiding driver.
💡use the adjective before a noun; 'law-abidingly' is not the normal form here.