lawless
Free from statutes
Lawless describes a state without law or regard for it.
A lawless frontier town has no functioning legal authority.
A lawless mob ignores the law entirely.
The word can describe places, people, or actions: lawless regions, lawless behavior.
It suggests chaos, disorder, or defiance of established rules.
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- untamedNot domesticated
- wild westUnregulated, lawless environment
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
- outbackRemote interior wilderness
hinterland · backwoods · no-man's-land · territory · wasteland · borderland · ungoverned · unpoliced
Armed roadside thief
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- renegadeDeserter of a cause
- desperadoBold, reckless outlaw
- highwaymanMounted thief targeting travelers
brigand · gunslinger · bushranger · pirate · smuggler · bootlegger · moonshiner · maverick
Disorder from absent authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- seditionInciting revolt against government
- subversionUndermining established authority
disorder · insurgency · revolution · dissent · defiance · resistance · disobedience · antiestablishment
Violent disorder and destruction
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
disarray · chaos · upheaval · tumult · riot · havoc · madness · frenzy
Openly resisting control
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- rebelliousResisting authority or control
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- uncontrollableImpossible to restrain
undisciplined · mutinous · disobedient · wayward · ungovernable · unmanageable · wild · untamed
Punishable illegal act
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- robberyTheft through intimidation
assault · murder · smuggling · trafficking · extortion · racketeering · looting · arson
wilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- untamedNot domesticated
- wild westUnregulated, lawless environment
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
outback · hinterland · backwoods · no-man's-land · territory · wasteland · borderland · ungoverned · unpoliced · unregulated
bandit
Armed roadside thief
highwayman · brigand · gunslinger · bushranger · pirate · smuggler · bootlegger · moonshiner · maverick · guerrilla
anarchy
Disorder from absent authority
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- seditionInciting revolt against government
subversion · disorder · insurgency · revolution · dissent · defiance · resistance · disobedience · antiestablishment · radicalism
mayhem
Violent disorder and destruction
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
confusion · disarray · chaos · upheaval · tumult · riot · havoc · madness · frenzy · uproar
defiant
Openly resisting control
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- rebelliousResisting authority or control
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
uncontrollable · undisciplined · mutinous · disobedient · wayward · ungovernable · unmanageable · wild · untamed · out of control
crime
Punishable illegal act
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
robbery · assault · murder · smuggling · trafficking · extortion · racketeering · looting · arson · vandalism
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
- disorderchaos, chaotic, disarray, mess, disordered
- out of controlwild, chaotic, unruly, unchecked, runaway
- unregulatedderegulated, unrestricted, unmonitored, unsupervised, unchecked
- freefree, freed, liberated, released, unchained
- misbehaviormisbehave, misbehavior, mischief, misconduct, naughty
lawlesslaw-abiding
Following established rules
lawful · legal · compliant · obedient · legitimate