lawlessness

Noun

lawlessness (countable and uncountable, plural lawlessnesses)

1. A lack of law; a lack of law and order; anarchy.
   • Near-synonyms: Wild West, free-for-all

   Synonyms:

   unlaw, illegality, illegalness, unlawfulness, Wild West, free-for-all

   Antonyms:

   law, rule of law, law and order, lawfulness, legality, legalness

2. Defiance of the law; outlawry, exorbitant levels of crime.
   • The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, created in the 1950s to break the mob’s grip on the docks, became its own bastion of corruption and lawlessnesses, according to a scathing report from the released on Tuesday after a nearly two-year investigation by the state inspector general’s office.2009 December 8, Jennifer 8. Lee, “Corruption Found at Waterfront Watchdog”, in The New York Times
   • We’re in decline because a spirit of lawlessness, shamelessness and brainlessness has become a leading feature of a conservative movement that was supposed to be a bulwark against all three.2023 August 28, Gail Collins and Bret Stephens, “Vivek Ramaswamy Is Suddenly Part of Our Political Life”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms:

   unlaw, unlawfulness

   Antonyms:

   lawfulness