our conciliation process avoids an overly legalistic approach
narrow legalistic definitions
Example sentencesExamples
The system was supposed to replace the box-ticking, legalistic approach that dogged predecessors with a more flexible approach based on high-level principles.
They fail to understand why simply sending out a legalistic privacy brochure isn't enough to satisfy most consumers.
Common phrasing is substituted for legalistic wording.
The latest draft agreement was unduly complicated and legalistic.
The police often applied their own standards - rather than legalistic ones - in deciding whether to arrest boys.
This is not to be taken as a recipe for a legalistic interpretation of the Convention.
Money dues lent themselves more easily to negotiation in detail, and so encouraged a more legalistic attitude towards relations between lords and tenants.
There is a need for an educational rather than legalistic policy on student access to the Internet.
They seemed to favor a protracted, multilateral and legalistic approach to international affairs.
You have written me yet another unfriendly, legalistic letter.
1.1Theology Concerning adherence to moral law rather than to personal religious faith.
legalistic notions such as duty and obligation
Example sentencesExamples
The only discussion of Sufism is a dictionary reference to an "inner religion that is not legalistic."
It is an easy matter to find self-identified Hindus and self-identified Muslims who share more significant religious beliefs with one another than either shares with many (ritualistic or legalistic) members of "their own" religions.
Stage Five is the social-contract legalistic orientation: adults adopt an essentially utilitarian moral point of view
The book broke apart the puzzle pieces which he had spent decades clamping together into airtight legalistic arguments against God.
The Islamic legalistic notion of ijtihad is the historically accepted practice of reinterpreting the Qur'anic philosophy of human relations based on the political, educational, cultural, and economic norms of a specific era.
As we should expect, given the legalistic form of his ethical theory, Kant's political thought is jurisprudential.
Derivatives
legalistically
adverb-ˈlɪstɪk(ə)li
When Christians think of the Torah and law, they think legalistically, but really so much of Jewish law is concerned about how do you live with other people.
Example sentencesExamples
Many Conservative Catholics began arguing legalistically about whether this war would be "just".
How can you ensure this legalistically if it does not correspond to the law?
The bill tried legalistically to right a political, moral wrong.
The case may be legalistically arguable but it is not exactly in keeping with the underlying spirit of the accord.
Saturday's rally reminded me of the dangers of defining free speech legalistically.
The border issue is legalistically entangled and complicated.
He has quite legalistically denied any role in "leaking classified information."
The country's legal system is administered overly legalistically.
I think informed consent is an absolute farce legalistically, morally, ethically.
Definition of legalistic in US English:
legalistic
adjectiveˌlēɡəˈlistik
1Adhering excessively to law or formula.
our conciliation process avoids an overly legalistic approach
narrow legalistic definitions
Example sentencesExamples
They seemed to favor a protracted, multilateral and legalistic approach to international affairs.
The system was supposed to replace the box-ticking, legalistic approach that dogged predecessors with a more flexible approach based on high-level principles.
Common phrasing is substituted for legalistic wording.
The police often applied their own standards - rather than legalistic ones - in deciding whether to arrest boys.
They fail to understand why simply sending out a legalistic privacy brochure isn't enough to satisfy most consumers.
You have written me yet another unfriendly, legalistic letter.
This is not to be taken as a recipe for a legalistic interpretation of the Convention.
The latest draft agreement was unduly complicated and legalistic.
Money dues lent themselves more easily to negotiation in detail, and so encouraged a more legalistic attitude towards relations between lords and tenants.
There is a need for an educational rather than legalistic policy on student access to the Internet.
1.1Theology Concerning adherence to moral law rather than to personal religious faith.
legalistic notions such as duty and obligation
Example sentencesExamples
The only discussion of Sufism is a dictionary reference to an "inner religion that is not legalistic."
As we should expect, given the legalistic form of his ethical theory, Kant's political thought is jurisprudential.
The book broke apart the puzzle pieces which he had spent decades clamping together into airtight legalistic arguments against God.
Stage Five is the social-contract legalistic orientation: adults adopt an essentially utilitarian moral point of view
The Islamic legalistic notion of ijtihad is the historically accepted practice of reinterpreting the Qur'anic philosophy of human relations based on the political, educational, cultural, and economic norms of a specific era.
It is an easy matter to find self-identified Hindus and self-identified Muslims who share more significant religious beliefs with one another than either shares with many (ritualistic or legalistic) members of "their own" religions.