What does legality mean?
Legality is the state of being lawful: an action, arrangement, or decision is legal when it conforms to the laws that apply to it. The word is especially useful when discussing the boundaries of permitted conduct and the legal standards that govern official decisions or institutional practices. For example, a court may question the legality of a search, while legislators may debate whether a proposed measure is compatible with constitutional or statutory requirements. Legality is not quite the same as legitimacy. A decision may be legal without being morally desirable, and an action may lack legal authority even when its motives appear sound. The term is generally formal and neutral, appearing frequently in legal writing, public debate, and discussions of government and corporate compliance.
nounThe quality or state of being lawful and permitted by law. It refers to whether an action, status, or arrangement conforms to legal requirements.
- The quality or state of being lawful; conformity with legal requirements.
"The court examined the legality of the search and ruled that the evidence had been obtained unlawfully."
"The company sought a legal opinion about the legality of its proposed acquisition."
"Lawyers challenged the legality of the procedure before the decision was implemented."
The plural is legality, used when referring to the legality of multiple matters or actions.
"The report examines the legality of several proposed regulations."
Legality turns a question of rules into a question of judgment: what the law permits, and what it merely leaves unsaid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does legality come from?
Legality was formed in English from legal plus the suffix -ity, which creates a noun meaning “the state or quality of being” something. Legal itself derives through Old French from Latin legalis, an adjective related to lex, meaning “law.” The same broad Latin legal tradition also underlies words such as legacy, legitimate, legible, and allegiance.
Related word forms
How legality is actually used
This is a formal, neutral term, especially common in legal, governmental, and academic contexts. It normally describes the legal status of an action, decision, arrangement, or interpretation.
Easily confused with legality
Legality concerns whether something conforms to the law, whereas legitimacy concerns whether it is justified, proper, or widely accepted.
Legality is specifically about legal permission, while validity can apply more broadly to anything that is well-founded or has legal force.