lawbreaking

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /ˈlɔˌbreɪkɪŋ/ UK /ˈlɔːˌbreɪkɪŋ/ See IPA manual

noun adj

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 crime delinquency transgression violation offending misconduct

Opposites

law-abidingcompliance obedience

Word family

Related forms lawbreakerlaw break

Etymology

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

# lawbreaking

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**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

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lawbreaking

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