Common law
Common law noun - (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions.
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Synonyms for Common law
Precedent is a synonym for common law in evolved law topic. In some cases you can use "Precedent" instead a noun phrase "Common law".
Precedent
Precedent noun - (civil law) a previous legal decision that is used to inform subsequent decisions.
Both terms in one sentence
- Up until recently, murder wasn't even a statutory crime in the UK; this comes under the category of a "common law offence", where the legality of an action is set by court precedent and not statute.
Source: Useful Notes / The Common Law - Michigan's common law of crimes is very well developed—decisions of the Michigan Supreme Court are often regarded as highly persuasive precedent in criminal cases in other states—and its legislature codified far less of the criminal law than is usual.
Source: Felony Murder - This might seem reasonable...until you realize that under The Common Law, the decisions of other common-law jurisdictions are regarded as persuasive precedent and are frequently cited in US decisions.
Source: There Should Be a Law
Cite this Source
Precedent and Common law. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/common_law/precedent
Common law & Precedent. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/common_law/precedent>.
Precedent or Common law. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/common_law/precedent.
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