Fiat vs. Law: Difference and Comparison
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Updated on September 22, 2023
Fiat is an authoritative command or decision, while law is a system of rules established by authority or custom, regulating conduct.
Difference Between Fiat and Law
Fiat typically refers to a decision or command that comes into effect simply by virtue of someone's declaration. This could be from an individual with authority or a governing body. In contrast, a law is a formalized rule that has undergone a standard legislative process, which might include debate, amendment, and ratification, before being established.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
A fiat's authority primarily stems from the person or entity that issues it. It may not always be based on consensus or broader agreement, but rather the decision of that particular authority. On the other hand, a law is often the product of deliberation and consensus, representing a collective agreement on how something should be regulated.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Fiats can be temporary or immediate in their nature, responding quickly to situations as they arise. They might not necessarily be enduring or permanent. Laws, meanwhile, tend to have a more lasting presence, structured for longevity and stability within a society or community.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
While both fiat and law exert control and influence over actions and outcomes, their methods of establishment and enforcement can differ. Fiats rely on the power and credibility of the issuer, while laws depend on the broader legal and judicial systems for their interpretation and enforcement.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
The term fiat, while originally associated with authoritative decisions or commands, has also been used in the financial realm to describe government-issued currency, like the US dollar, that isn't backed by a physical commodity. Law, conversely, remains firmly in the domain of governance, providing frameworks and standards for behavior in various spheres of life.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Fiat vs. Law Comparison Chart
Definition
An authoritative command or decision
A system of rules established by authority or custom
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
Origin
Derived from the decision of an authority
Product of deliberation and consensus
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Basis of Authority
Power and credibility of the issuer
Legal and judicial systems
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Broader Applications
Used in finance to describe certain currencies
Regulates various spheres of life
Henry
Sep 22, 2023
Fiat vs. Law Definitions
◉Fiat
Fiat is a decision that comes into effect by virtue of declaration.
The committee's fiat changed the course of the project.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
Law refers to the body of rules governing a community.
The law ensures order and justice in society.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Fiat
Fiat, in finance, refers to currency without intrinsic value but government-backed.
The US dollar is a fiat currency, its value isn't based on physical commodities.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
Law is a binding custom or practice within a community.
The law of the land must be respected by all citizens.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
◉Fiat
Fiat is an authoritative decree or command.
The king ruled by fiat, often making decisions without consultation.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
Law embodies the principles and regulations by which disputes are resolved.
The case was resolved based on the established law.
Jonathan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Fiat
Fiat implies a directive with immediate effect.
The manager’s fiat led to a sudden shift in the team's direction.
Henry
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The body of rules and principles governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a political authority; a legal system
international law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The condition of social order and justice created by adherence to such a system
a breakdown of law and civilized behavior.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
A royal fiat.
A presidential fiat.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A set of rules or principles dealing with a specific area of a legal system
tax law.
criminal law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
Authorization, permission or (official) sanction.
A government fiat.
To rule by fiat.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
(English law) An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The system of judicial administration giving effect to the laws of a community
All citizens are equal before the law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
An impromptu or extralegal system of justice substituted for established judicial procedure
frontier law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
An authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
His fiat laid the corner stone.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
An agency or agent responsible for enforcing the law. Often used with the
"The law ... stormed out of the woods as the vessel was being relieved of her cargo" (Sid Moody).
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge);
a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Fiat
Fiat can refer to an arbitrary order.
With a mere fiat, the schedule was altered.
Elijah
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
Something, such as an order or a dictum, having absolute or unquestioned authority
The commander's word was law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A body of principles or precepts held to express the divine will, especially as revealed in the Bible.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A rule or custom generally established in a particular domain
the unwritten laws of good sportsmanship.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A statement describing a relationship observed to be invariable between or among phenomena for all cases in which the specified conditions are met
the law of gravity.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A generalization based on consistent experience or results
the law of supply and demand.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(Mathematics) A general principle or rule that is assumed or that has been proven to hold between expressions.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A principle of organization, procedure, or technique
the laws of grammar.
the laws of visual perspective.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(usually with "the") The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
The courts interpret the law but should not make it.
In theory, entrapment is against the law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The body of such rules that pertain to a particular topic.
property law
commercial hunting and fishing law
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
There is a law against importing wallabies.
A new law forbids driving on that road.
The court ruled that the executive order was not law and nullified it.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Any rule that must or should be obeyed, concerning behaviours and their consequences. mores.}}
"Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you" is a good law to follow.
the law of self-preservation
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A rule or principle regarding the construction of language or art.
the laws of playwriting and poetry
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A statement (in physics, etc) of an (observed, established) order or sequence or relationship of phenomena which is invariable under certain conditions. theory.}}
the laws of thermodynamics
Newton's third law of motion states that to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
This is one of several laws derived from his general theory expounded in the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
A statement (of relation) that is true under specified conditions; a mathematical or logical rule.
Mathematical laws can be proved purely through mathematics, without scientific experimentation.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Any statement of the relation of acts and conditions to their consequences.
the law of scarcity
the law of supply and demand
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(linguistics) A sound law; a regular change in the pronunciation of a language.
Grimm's law
Dahl's law
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(cricket) One of the official rules of cricket as codified by the its (former) governing body, the MCC.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The control and order brought about by the observance of such rules.
They worked to maintain law and order.
It was a territory without law, marked by violence.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(informal) A person or group that act(s) with authority to uphold such rules and order (for example, one or more police officers).
Here comes the law — run!
then the law arrived on the scene
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The profession that deals with such rules (as lawyers, judges, police officers, etc).
He is studying for a career in law.
She has practiced law in New York for twenty years.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Jurisprudence, the field of knowledge which encompasses these rules.
She went to university to study law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Litigation; legal action (as a means of maintaining or restoring order, redressing wrongs, etc).
They were quick to go to law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
An allowance of distance or time (a head start) given to a weaker (human or animal) competitor in a race, to make the race more fair.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(aviation) A mode of operation of the flight controls of a fly-by-wire aircraft.
normal law; alternate law; direct law
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
(fantasy) One of two metaphysical forces ruling the world in some fantasy settings, also called order, and opposed to chaos.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
An oath sworn before a court, especially disclaiming a debt. wager of law", "wage one's law", "perform one's law", "lose one's law".}}
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts.
These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made.
The law of thy God, and the law of the King.
As if they would confine the Interminable . . . Who made our laws to bind us, not himself.
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament.
What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
In mathematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; - including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice.
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason.
Law is beneficence acting by rule.
And sovereign Law, that state's collected willO'er thrones and globes elate,Sits empress, crowning good, repressing ill.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law.
When every case in law is right.
He found law dear and left it cheap.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity;
there is a law against kidnapping
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
the collection of rules imposed by authority;
civilization presupposes respect for the law
the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature;
the laws of thermodynamics
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system;
he studied law at Yale
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
the branch of philosophy concerned with the law and the principles that lead courts to make the decisions they do
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Law
Law is a rule established by authority, prescribing certain conduct.
Breaking the law can lead to penalties or imprisonment.
Levi
Sep 22, 2023
◉Law
Law can also refer to a scientific principle that's universally accepted.
Newton's law of gravity describes the attraction between objects.
Elijah
Sep 22, 2023
Fiat vs. Law Frequently Asked Questions
Are laws typically enduring and meant for long-term governance?
Yes, laws are generally structured for longevity and stability within a community or society.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Can a fiat be temporary or immediate in nature?
Yes, a fiat can be temporary or immediate, depending on the issuer's intent.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
Does law refer to a set of rules governing behavior?
Yes, law represents a system of rules established by authority or custom to regulate conduct.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Can the term fiat be used in a financial context?
Yes, in finance, fiat refers to currency that isn't backed by a physical commodity but is government-backed.
William
Sep 22, 2023
Is fiat an authoritative command or decision?
Yes, fiat refers to an authoritative command or decision made by someone in power.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
Is fiat currency backed by physical commodities?
No, fiat currency derives its value from government declaration and is not backed by physical commodities like gold or silver.
Jonathan
Sep 22, 2023
Does the establishment of law often involve deliberation and consensus?
Yes, laws are often the product of deliberation and represent a collective agreement on regulation.
Kaitlyn
Sep 22, 2023
Is a fiat's authority mainly from the issuer?
Yes, a fiat's authority primarily stems from the person or entity issuing it.
William
Sep 22, 2023
Does the enforcement of law depend on legal and judicial systems?
Yes, laws rely on the broader legal and judicial systems for their interpretation and enforcement.
Elijah
Sep 22, 2023
Do laws regulate various aspects of society?
Yes, laws provide frameworks and standards for behavior in diverse areas of life.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Content Creators
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Muneeza RehmanAt Comparisons.wiki, Muneeza skillfully navigates the vast sea of information, ensuring clarity and accuracy as the lead content editor. With a keen eye for detail, she curates every comparison to enlighten and engage readers.
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Muazma BatoolAs a content editor, Muazma Batool is not just a grammar guru but a creative mastermind who breathes life into every word. With an eagle eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she transforms bland text into engaging content that captivates audiences and drives results.
