French word

légaliser

Pronunciation

IPA/legalize/

Meaning

  • verblegalize

Example

Le gouvernement va légaliser le mariage.

The government is going to legalize marriage.

Illustration for légaliser (legalize)

More examples

De nombreux pays ont décidé de légaliser le cannabis.

Many countries have decided to legalize cannabis.

Core concept

A government decision that moves an existing practice into an officially recognized legal status.

Common phrases

  • légaliser le mariage

    legalize marriage

  • légaliser le cannabis

    legalize cannabis

Similar words

autoriser: Allow an act through permission from someone with the authority to grant it.
dépénaliser: Remove an act from the scope of criminal penalties.
tolérer: Allow an act without prohibiting it or imposing penalties.
réglementer: Set detailed legal or administrative rules governing an act.

Definition in French

Mettre quelque chose en conformité avec la loi en lui conférant un statut juridique officiel.

Word origin

Légaliser is derived from légal with -iser, a productive suffix that forms verbs meaning to make or render something characterized by the base word.

Usage tips

  • Légaliser concerns legal authorization, which does not necessarily imply social approval or moral acceptance.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word