USAGE NOTE 用法说明: legal
Compare 比较 legal, lawful, legitimate.
Legal is the ordinary word for actions allowed by the law, and the general word for things connected with the law. legal 是“合法的”的普通用词，也普遍用于与法律有关的事物:
It's legal for people over 21 to buy alcohol. 21 岁以上的人买酒是合法的。
the legal profession 法律专业
Lawful suggests that the law is also morally right. lawful 暗示“该法律在道德上是对的”:
a lawful marriage 合法婚姻
your lawful king 你们的合法国王
Legitimate means 'acceptable by law, or according to what most people think is right'. legitimate 指“为法律所接受的，或大多数人认为是对的”:
the legitimate government 合法政府
He claimed that bombing the town was a legitimate act of war. 他声称轰炸这座城市是战争中的正当行为。
Her illness was a legitimate reason for being absent from work. 她生病是没来上班的正当理由。