legally

/ˈliːɡəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈliːɡəli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlē-gə-lē/ (ame, mw)

legally — 副詞

1. acting or occurring in compliance with legal rules — doing what the law says you

1.副詞B2
釋義

合法地

以符合法律規定的方式

acting or occurring in compliance with legal rules — doing what the law says you may or must do, rather than what it forbids.

例句

Tunde legally registered his new company with the city council last month.

Tunde 上個月向市議會合法登記了他的新公司。

legally + verb of compliance (register a business)

The factory must legally treat all waste water before releasing it into the river.

該工廠在將廢水排放到河川之前，必須依法處理所有廢水。

同義詞
  • lawfully

    identical in meaning but slightly more formal; common in official documents

  • legitimately

    broader meaning — can also describe something that is morally or logically acceptable, not just legal

反義詞
  • illegally

    direct opposite; describes actions that break the law

  • unlawfully

    formal synonym of 'illegally', used especially in legal writing

用法筆記

Modifies verbs describing actions that are subject to legal rules. The focus is on whether the action itself follows the law. Common verb partners: 'act,' 'operate,' 'register,' 'park,' 'hire,' 'vote.'

常見錯誤

❌She legally drove to work every day.
✅She drove to work within the speed limit, so she was driving legally.
💡'Legally' with a bare action verb is vague; add context showing compliance with a specific legal rule.

2. when considered or judged according to the system of law, regardless of whether

2.副詞B2
釋義

在法律上

從法律角度來看

when considered or judged according to the system of law, regardless of whether something is morally right, practically fair, or socially acceptable in other ways.

例句

Legally, the old contract was still binding even though both sides wanted to change it.

從法律上來說，那份舊合約仍然具有約束力，儘管雙方都想修改它。

sentence-initial Legally, + contrast clause

João is legally an adult at age eighteen even if he still lives with his parents.

João 在年滿十八歲時在法律上已是成年人，即使他仍然與父母同住。

legally + adjective (is an adult at a certain age)

同義詞
反義詞
  • morally

    contrasts with 'legally' to show the difference between what the law says and what is right

  • in practice

    contrasts the legal principle with how things actually work in real life

用法筆記

This sense often appears in contrastive contexts, where the legal position differs from a moral, practical, or emotional perspective. Common with adjectives describing legal status: 'binding,' 'valid,' 'responsible,' 'required,' 'entitled,' 'permissible,' 'obligated,' 'married.'

常見錯誤

❌He is legally the father but he does not act like one.' (fine — this usage IS sense 2)
✅The sentence is actually correct. The error is confusing sense 2 for sense 1: 'legally the father' means 'from the law's perspective, he is the father,' not 'he fulfills his fatherly duties by following the law.