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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

legalize en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈliːɡəlaɪz/
  • (UK) audio

Etymology

From legal + -ize. Piecewise doublet of loyalize.

Meanings

  1. To make legal or permit under law. Either by decriminalising something that has been illegal or by specifically permitting it.
    • Legislative reform campaigns aimed at restricting foreign immigration, mandating state institutionalization of the biologically unfit, and legalizing eugenical involuntary sterilization. 2006, Matt Wray, Not Quite White, page 71:
    • This is true despite the fact that in 1986, the federal government legalized the cashability of RRSP annuities. 1987, Dian Cohen, Money, page 155:
    • There is a debate whether or not to legalize some of the softer drugs.
    • But now a legislative battle looms over the gun lobby’s brazen counterinitiative to legalize concealed weapons on campus. 2007 August 22, “Virginia’s Gun Market”, in The New York Times:
    • State lawmakers approved a bill on Tuesday that legalizes the drug for adults 21 and older and moves toward the creation of a potential $4.2 billion industry that could become one of the nation’s largest markets. 2021 September 23, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Troy Closson, “New York Has Legalized Marijuana. Here’s What to Know.”, in The New York Times:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
legalizing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
legalized Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
legalized Tense=Past lexicographic
legalise UK, alternative lexicographic
legalizes Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Antonyms

criminalize · illegalize

Deriveds

delegalize · relegalize · unlegalized · legalization · legalizer · nonlegalized · legalizable

Synonyms

legitimate

Translations (43)

da legalisere (make legal) · ru легализи́ровать (make legal) · nl legaliseren (make legal) · ko 합법화(合法化)하다 (make legal) · cmn 合法化 (make legal) · br lezennekaat (make legal) · ru легализова́ть (make legal) · pt legalizar (make legal) · ja 合法化する (make legal) · gd laghaich (make legal) · pl zalegalizować (make legal) · hu törvényesít (make legal) · id melegalkan (make legal) · tr yasallaştırmak (make legal) · bg легализирам (make legal) · it legalizzare (make legal) · es legalizar (make legal) · de legalisieren (make legal) · uk узако́нювати (make legal) · vi hợp pháp hoá (make legal) · eo legalizi (make legal) · et legaliseerima (make legal) · gl legalizar (make legal) · ast llegalizar (make legal) · fr légaliser (make legal) · fr dépénaliser (make legal) · be легалізава́ць (make legal) · id mengesahkan (make legal) · sv legalisera (make legal) · ca legalitzar (make legal) · vi luật hoá (make legal) · uk узако́нити (make legal) · fr autoriser (make legal) · hu legalizál (make legal) · ar قَنَّنَ (make legal) · pl legalizować (make legal) · ru узако́нить (make legal) · mi whakamana (make legal) · fi laillistaa (make legal) · uk легалізува́ти (make legal) · id melegalisasi (make legal) · ru узако́нивать (make legal) · bg узаконявам (make legal)