legalism Syllabification: (le·gal·ism)Pronunciation: /ˈlēgəˌlizəm/Definition of legalism noun excessive adherence to law or formula. Theology dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith. Derivatives legalist noun & adjective legalisticPronunciation: /ˌlēgəˈlistik/ adjective legalisticallyPronunciation: /ˌlēgəˈlistik(ə)lē/ adverb legalism in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of legalism in the British & World English dictionary