noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈlɔː ˈʌntʊ ˌwʌnˈsɛlf/
Received-Pronunciation:/-ˈʌntuː-/
Received-Pronunciation:/-ˈʌntə-/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈlɔ ˈʌntə ˌwʌnˈsɛlf/
General-American:/-ˈʌntʊ-/
1
noun
Meaning 1
One who is free from the constraints of law or rules.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
One who flouts the law or conventional wisdom; one who ignores rules or logic to behave according to his or her own standards.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
One who is lawful in the absence of an enforced law; one who behaves with integrity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Probably from Romans 2:14 in the King James Version of the Bible (see the quotation under sense 3 below), though the term has come to have the opposite meaning, as senses 1 and 2 indicate. Sense 3 is now largely limited to references to the Bible verse.
Across languages
Translations
5 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Czech:
sám sobě zákonem
— one who flouts the law or conventional wisdom
Czech:
svévolník
— one who flouts the law or conventional wisdom
French:
justicier
— one who flouts the law or conventional wisdom
Hungarian:
a maga feje után megy
— one who flouts the law or conventional wisdom
Esperanto:
leĝo por si mem
— one who is lawful in the absence of an enforced law