lawbreaking C2+ Topic:Law & Government US /ˈlɔˌbreɪkɪŋ/ UK /ˈlɔːˌbreɪkɪŋ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the act of violating the law Petty lawbreaking was rife in the lawless border town. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the act of violating the law crimedelinquencytransgressionviolationoffendingmisconduct ↔ Opposites law-abidingcomplianceobedience Word family Related forms lawbreakerlawbreak Etymology AI details A compound of law (Old English lagu, from Old Norse lag 'something laid down') and breaking (from Old English brecan 'to break'). lagu Old English brecan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # lawbreaking **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈlɔˌbreɪkɪŋ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈlɔːˌbreɪkɪŋ/ ## Meanings 1. the act of violating the law ## Examples - Petty lawbreaking was rife in the lawless border town. ## Synonyms - crime - delinquency - transgression - violation - offending - misconduct ## Antonyms - law-abiding - compliance - obedience ## Related Forms - lawbreaker - law - break ## Roots and Affixes - Root: lagu - Root: brecan ## Etymology A compound of law (Old English lagu, from Old Norse lag 'something laid down') and breaking (from Old English brecan 'to break'). ## AI Etymology Lawbreaking is a compound of law (Old English lagu, from Old Norse lag 'something laid down') and breaking (from Old English brecan 'to break'). The etymological trail includes Old English lagu, Old English brecan. The same word family includes lawbreaker, law, break. Its current noun use means "the act of violating the law". ## Topics - Law & Government - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown