This adjective describes those who are lawless or unprincipled—living without regard for proper law or moral standards. In 2 Peter, it appears twice describing the wicked: Lot was tormented by the 'lawless' conduct of Sodom (2:7), and believers must guard against being carried away by the error of 'lawless' people (3:17). The word emphasizes not merely breaking specific laws but a fundamental attitude of lawlessness, living without principle or regard for divine standards. It's the quality of those who reject moral law as a governing framework.