as in obedient
readily giving in to the command or authority of another
the law-abiding citizens of the neighborhood did everything they could to help reduce street crime
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Recent Examples of law-abiding
These Trump actions provide all the wrong incentives—and law-abiding citizens have much more to fear from them than criminals.
—
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 9 May 2025
Richard Nixon is a law-abiding guy On Nov. 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, in the midst of the Watergate scandal that would end his presidency, defended himself against charges of corruption.
—Chris Lamb, The Conversation, 2 May 2025
Sanctuary jurisdictions, in his view, decide their limited resources are better spent investigating people who commit serious crimes, rather than people who are in the United States illegally but are otherwise law-abiding.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2025
If a law-abiding citizen can face this for simply coming home, then no one is safe.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for law-abiding
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 9 May 2025
Richard Nixon is a law-abiding guy On Nov. 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, in the midst of the Watergate scandal that would end his presidency, defended himself against charges of corruption.
—Chris Lamb, The Conversation, 2 May 2025
Sanctuary jurisdictions, in his view, decide their limited resources are better spent investigating people who commit serious crimes, rather than people who are in the United States illegally but are otherwise law-abiding.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2025
If a law-abiding citizen can face this for simply coming home, then no one is safe.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for law-abiding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for law-abiding
obedient
Adjective
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They’re done being obedient to an archaic and broken system.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2024
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According to the new framing, Russia’s real fight is against the mighty United States, which wants to destroy it, while Ukraine—just like the European Union and NATO—is merely an obedient U.S. satellite.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
25 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Law-abiding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/law-abiding. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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