$W^{1,\infty}$ Equals Lipschitz (Theorem # 3129)
Theorem
Let $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ be a bounded open set with Lipschitz boundary. Then $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) = \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$, with equivalence of norms:
\begin{align*}
\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} \asymp \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}.
\end{align*}
Analysis
Real Analysis
Functional Analysis
Discussion
No discussion available for this theorem.
Proof
[proofplan]
The two inclusions are proved separately. For $\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega) \subseteq W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$, a Lipschitz function is differentiable a.e. by Rademacher's theorem, and the classical derivative is bounded everywhere by the Lipschitz constant. We then check that this classical a.e.-derivative is the weak derivative by approximating with a smooth sequence (mollification of the Lipschitz extension to $\mathbb{R}^n$) and integrating by parts. For $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) \subseteq \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$, we approximate $u \in W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ in $C^\infty(\overline\Omega) \cap W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ via the [Smooth Approximation Up to the Boundary](/theorems/3097) theorem (using the Lipschitz boundary hypothesis). Each smooth approximant is Lipschitz with constant controlled by $\|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty}$, and these constants are uniformly bounded. Equicontinuity gives a Lipschitz limit. The norm equivalence then drops out of the explicit constants. The Lipschitz boundary hypothesis is used **only** in the second direction — it is what supplies the smooth approximation in $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$.
[/proofplan]
[step:Set up notation and recall the Lipschitz norm]
For an open set $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^n$, the space of Lipschitz functions on $\Omega$ is
\begin{align*}
\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega) := \{u: \Omega \to \mathbb{R} : \exists L < \infty,\ |u(x) - u(y)| \le L|x - y| \text{ for all } x, y \in \Omega\}.
\end{align*}
The Lipschitz seminorm and norm are
\begin{align*}
[u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} := \sup_{\substack{x, y \in \Omega \\ x \ne y}} \frac{|u(x) - u(y)|}{|x - y|}, \qquad \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} := \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}.
\end{align*}
The Sobolev norm is
\begin{align*}
\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} := \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)},
\end{align*}
where $\|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} := \max_{i=1, \dots, n}\|\partial_{x_i} u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}$ (we use the $\ell^\infty$ norm on $\mathbb{R}^n$ for the gradient; any other norm gives an equivalent $W^{1,\infty}$ norm).
We will prove
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}\|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} \le C_\Omega \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}
\end{align*}
for a constant $C_\Omega \ge 1$ depending only on $\Omega$, which is the asserted equivalence $\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}} \asymp \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}}$.
[/step]
[step:Show $\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega) \subseteq W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ via Rademacher]
Let $u \in \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$ with Lipschitz constant $L = [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}$. By Rademacher's theorem (proven in GMT II as a corollary of the area formula or directly), $u$ is classically differentiable at $\mathcal{L}^n$-a.e. $x \in \Omega$. Denote the classical gradient (where it exists) by $\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u: \Omega \to \mathbb{R}^n$, extended to all of $\Omega$ by setting $\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u(x) := 0$ at the negligible set of non-differentiability points.
**Step (a): $|\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u(x)| \le L$ a.e.** For any unit vector $e \in \mathbb{R}^n$ and any point $x$ where $u$ is differentiable,
\begin{align*}
|\partial_e u(x)| = \lim_{h \to 0}\left|\frac{u(x + he) - u(x)}{h}\right| \le \lim_{h \to 0}\frac{L|h|}{|h|} = L.
\end{align*}
Taking $e = e_i$ for each coordinate, $|\partial_{x_i} u(x)| \le L$ a.e. (in the $\ell^\infty$ norm); in particular $|\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u(x)| \le L$ in the $\ell^\infty$ sense. Hence the classical gradient is in $L^\infty(\Omega; \mathbb{R}^n)$ with $\|\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le L$.
**Step (b): The classical gradient is the weak gradient.** We must verify that for every $\varphi \in C_c^\infty(\Omega)$ and every $i = 1, \dots, n$,
\begin{align*}
\int_\Omega u\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n.
\end{align*}
Fix such $\varphi$ and let $K := \operatorname{supp}\varphi \subset\subset \Omega$. Choose $\delta_0 \in (0, \operatorname{dist}(K, \partial\Omega))$. For $\delta \in (0, \delta_0)$, let $\eta_\delta$ be a standard mollifier and set
\begin{align*}
u_\delta: \{x \in \Omega : \operatorname{dist}(x, \partial\Omega) > \delta\} &\to \mathbb{R}, & u_\delta(x) := (\eta_\delta * u)(x).
\end{align*}
Then $u_\delta \in C^\infty$ on its domain, $u_\delta \to u$ uniformly on $K$ (since $u$ is uniformly continuous on $K$, as a Lipschitz function), and the classical chain rule gives $\partial_{x_i} u_\delta = \eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$ on the domain of $u_\delta$ (using that the distributional derivative of $u$ on $\Omega$ — once we admit it exists — coincides with the convolution).
Let us prove this last identity differently, without circularity. The formula $\partial_{x_i} u_\delta = (\partial_{x_i}\eta_\delta) * u$ is the standard derivative-of-convolution formula, which requires only $u \in L^1_{\mathrm{loc}}(\Omega)$. By Rademacher and the classical chain rule applied to $u(y) = u(y - z) + \int_0^1 \nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u(y - z + tz) \cdot z\, dt$ — the fundamental theorem of calculus along a line segment, valid for the Lipschitz $u$ — and Fubini's theorem,
\begin{align*}
\partial_{x_i} u_\delta(x) = \int_{\mathbb{R}^n} \partial_{x_i}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y) = \int_{\mathbb{R}^n}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, \partial_{y_i, \mathrm{cl}} u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y),
\end{align*}
where the last equality is by the FTC + Fubini argument (or, equivalently, integration by parts with the mollifier, which is justified for $u$ Lipschitz). Thus $\partial_{x_i} u_\delta = \eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$ on its domain.
Now integrate by parts on $K$, where $\varphi$ has compact support: for $\delta < \delta_0$,
\begin{align*}
\int_\Omega u_\delta\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i} u_\delta\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega (\eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u)\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n.
\end{align*}
Letting $\delta \to 0$: the LHS converges to $\int_\Omega u\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n$ by uniform convergence on $K$. The RHS converges to $-\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n$ by the standard $L^p$ convergence of mollification: $\|\eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u - \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u\|_{L^1(K)} \to 0$ (using $\partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u \in L^\infty \subset L^1_{\mathrm{loc}}$ and continuity of translation in $L^1$).
Hence $\partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$ is the weak partial derivative of $u$ in the $x_i$ direction, and $\partial_{x_i} u = \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u \in L^\infty(\Omega)$.
**Step (c): Norm bound.** From Step (a) and Step (b), $u \in W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ and $\|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}$. Combined with the immediate inequality $\|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}$ (i.e., $\|u\|_{L^\infty} \le \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}} = \|u\|_{L^\infty} + [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}}$),
\begin{align*}
\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} = \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} = \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}.
\end{align*}
This is the inclusion $\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega) \subseteq W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ with $\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}} \le \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}}$. The Lipschitz boundary hypothesis is **not** used in this direction.
[guided]
The forward inclusion has two ingredients: Rademacher's theorem (a Lipschitz function is differentiable a.e.) gives a candidate for the gradient, and we then verify that this classical a.e.-gradient also serves as the weak gradient. The verification is needed because $W^{1,\infty}$ is defined via the distributional derivative, not the classical pointwise one — although for Lipschitz functions the two coincide, this is a theorem and not a definition.
**Rademacher gives the classical a.e.-derivative.** A Lipschitz function $u: \Omega \to \mathbb{R}$ is differentiable $\mathcal{L}^n$-a.e. on $\Omega$ — this is Rademacher's theorem. Defined a.e. and extended by zero on the null set of bad points, the classical gradient $\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u$ has $|\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u(x)| \le L = [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}}$ everywhere by the difference-quotient bound: for any unit vector $e$ and any differentiability point $x$, $|\partial_e u(x)| = \lim_{h \to 0} |u(x + he) - u(x)|/|h| \le L$. So the classical gradient lies in $L^\infty(\Omega; \mathbb{R}^n)$.
**Why we still must verify the weak-derivative identity.** Membership in $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ requires the **distributional** derivative to be in $L^\infty$. A priori, the classical gradient (an a.e.-defined function) need not coincide with the distributional gradient (a distribution). For Lipschitz functions, the two do coincide, but this is the substantive content. We prove it by mollification.
**Mollification setup.** Fix $\varphi \in C_c^\infty(\Omega)$ with $K := \operatorname{supp}\varphi \subset\subset \Omega$, and choose $\delta_0 \in (0, \operatorname{dist}(K, \partial\Omega))$. Pick a standard mollifier $\eta \in C_c^\infty(\mathbb{R}^n)$ with $\operatorname{supp}\eta \subset B(0,1)$, $\int\eta\, d\mathcal{L}^n = 1$, and define $\eta_\delta(x) := \delta^{-n}\eta(x/\delta)$. Set
\begin{align*}
u_\delta: \Omega_\delta &\to \mathbb{R}, & u_\delta(x) := (\eta_\delta * u)(x), \quad \Omega_\delta := \{x \in \Omega : \operatorname{dist}(x, \partial\Omega) > \delta\}.
\end{align*}
For $\delta < \delta_0$, $K \subset \Omega_\delta$, and $u_\delta$ is well-defined and $C^\infty$ on $K$.
**Convergence on $K$.** $u$ is uniformly continuous on the compact $K' := \{x : \operatorname{dist}(x, K) \le \delta_0\} \subset\subset \Omega$ (by Lipschitz, with modulus $L\delta$). Standard mollifier theory then gives $u_\delta \to u$ uniformly on $K$ as $\delta \to 0$.
**Identifying $\partial_{x_i} u_\delta = \eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$.** Two routes:
Route A (via the formula $(D\eta_\delta) * u = \eta_\delta * Du$ when $u$ is AC along lines): differentiate under the integral sign,
\begin{align*}
\partial_{x_i} u_\delta(x) = \int_{\mathbb{R}^n} \partial_{x_i}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y).
\end{align*}
Then integrate by parts in $y_i$ — legitimate because $u$ is Lipschitz hence absolutely continuous along lines (a consequence of Rademacher and Fubini), so the FTC applies along almost every line parallel to $e_i$:
\begin{align*}
\int_{\mathbb{R}^n}\partial_{x_i}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y) = -\int_{\mathbb{R}^n}\partial_{y_i}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y) \stackrel{\text{IBP in } y_i}{=} \int_{\mathbb{R}^n}\eta_\delta(x - y)\, \partial_{y_i, \mathrm{cl}} u(y)\, d\mathcal{L}^n(y).
\end{align*}
The $-$ sign is from the chain rule for $\eta_\delta(x - y)$, and the integration by parts has no boundary term because $\eta_\delta(x - \cdot)$ has compact support strictly inside $\Omega$ for $\delta < \delta_0$ and $x \in K$.
Route B: simply note that mollification of an $L^1_{\mathrm{loc}}$ function commutes with weak derivatives; this is a standard fact, but verifying it for $u$ a priori only Lipschitz uses essentially the same argument as Route A.
**The integration-by-parts identity.** With $u_\delta \in C^\infty(K)$ and $\varphi \in C_c^\infty(K)$, classical integration by parts gives
\begin{align*}
\int_\Omega u_\delta\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i} u_\delta\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega (\eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u)\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n.
\end{align*}
**Limit as $\delta \to 0$.** Uniform convergence $u_\delta \to u$ on $K$ and $\partial_{x_i}\varphi \in L^\infty(\Omega)$ with compact support in $K$ give
\begin{align*}
\int_\Omega u_\delta\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n \to \int_\Omega u\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n.
\end{align*}
For the RHS: $\partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u \in L^\infty(\Omega) \subset L^1(K)$, and continuity of translation in $L^1$ gives $\eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u \to \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$ in $L^1(K)$. Combined with $\varphi \in L^\infty$,
\begin{align*}
-\int_\Omega(\eta_\delta * \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u)\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n \to -\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n.
\end{align*}
The limiting identity is $\int_\Omega u\, \partial_{x_i}\varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n = -\int_\Omega \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u\, \varphi\, d\mathcal{L}^n$, which is the definition of the weak derivative. With $\partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u \in L^\infty(\Omega)$, $u \in W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ with $\partial_{x_i} u = \partial_{x_i, \mathrm{cl}} u$.
**Norm estimate.** $\|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty} = \|\nabla_{\mathrm{cl}} u\|_{L^\infty} \le L = [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}}$. Adding $\|u\|_{L^\infty}$ to both sides gives $\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}} \le \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}}$.
**Lipschitz boundary irrelevant here.** The argument used only $\Omega$ being open. The Lipschitz boundary plays no role in this direction.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Show $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) \subseteq \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$ via smooth approximation]
Let $u \in W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$. We show $u$ has a representative that is Lipschitz on $\Omega$ with $[u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le C_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}$, for a constant $C_\Omega$ depending only on $\Omega$.
**Step (a): Smooth approximation up to $\partial\Omega$.** Since $\Omega$ has Lipschitz boundary, the [Smooth Approximation Up to the Boundary](/theorems/3097) theorem provides a sequence
\begin{align*}
u_\varepsilon \in C^\infty(\overline\Omega) \cap W^{1,\infty}(\Omega), \qquad \|u_\varepsilon - u\|_{W^{1,p}(\Omega)} \to 0 \quad \text{as } \varepsilon \to 0
\end{align*}
for any $p < \infty$. The original Meyers-Serrin / Smooth-Approximation-Up-to-the-Boundary statement is for $1 \le p < \infty$, but the standard construction (truncate, mollify on each chart, glue with a partition of unity) preserves the $L^\infty$ bounds:
\begin{align*}
\|u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}, \qquad \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le C_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)},
\end{align*}
where $C_\Omega \ge 1$ is a geometric constant depending on the partition of unity, the Lipschitz constants of the boundary charts, and the cutoff used in the construction (it does not depend on $u$ or $\varepsilon$). The inflation $C_\Omega$ over $1$ is unavoidable: localising via $\zeta_j u$ produces $\nabla\zeta_j \cdot u$ terms whose $L^\infty$ norm is bounded by $\|\nabla\zeta_j\|_{L^\infty}\|u\|_{L^\infty}$, and similarly the bi-Lipschitz changes of variable inflate norms by their bi-Lipschitz constant. In the special case $\Omega = \mathbb{R}^n_+$ or $\Omega$ convex, $C_\Omega = 1$ suffices.
We also have, from $W^{1,p}$ convergence and a subsequence argument, $u_\varepsilon \to u$ a.e. on $\Omega$.
**Step (b): Each $u_\varepsilon$ is Lipschitz with controlled constant.** $u_\varepsilon \in C^\infty(\overline\Omega)$ has a continuous classical gradient $\nabla u_\varepsilon$ on $\overline\Omega$, and its $L^\infty$ norm equals its sup norm. For any $x, y \in \Omega$, if the segment $[x, y] := \{x + t(y - x) : t \in [0, 1]\}$ is contained in $\Omega$, the fundamental theorem of calculus along the segment gives
\begin{align*}
|u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)| = \left|\int_0^1 \nabla u_\varepsilon(x + t(y - x)) \cdot (y - x)\, d\mathcal{L}^1(t)\right| \le \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}|x - y|,
\end{align*}
where we used Cauchy-Schwarz $|\nabla u_\varepsilon \cdot (y - x)| \le |\nabla u_\varepsilon|\, |y - x|$ and the $\ell^2$ norm bound $|\nabla u_\varepsilon| \le \sqrt{n}\|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty}$ in the $\ell^\infty$ sense (a constant $\sqrt n$ that we absorb into $C_\Omega$).
For points $x, y \in \Omega$ where the segment $[x,y]$ leaves $\Omega$, the bound above does not directly apply. However, since $\Omega$ has Lipschitz boundary, $\Omega$ is **quasi-convex**: there exists a constant $K_\Omega \ge 1$ such that any two points $x, y \in \Omega$ can be joined by a curve $\gamma_{x,y}: [0, 1] \to \overline\Omega$ of length $\ell(\gamma_{x,y}) \le K_\Omega |x - y|$. (This is a standard property of Lipschitz domains; for convex $\Omega$, $K_\Omega = 1$.) Applying the FTC along $\gamma_{x,y}$,
\begin{align*}
|u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)| \le \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\overline\Omega)}\, \ell(\gamma_{x,y}) \le K_\Omega\, \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\overline\Omega)}\, |x - y|.
\end{align*}
Thus $u_\varepsilon$ is Lipschitz on $\Omega$ with constant
\begin{align*}
[u_\varepsilon]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le K_\Omega \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le K_\Omega C_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} =: C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}.
\end{align*}
The constant $C'_\Omega := K_\Omega C_\Omega$ is finite, depends only on $\Omega$, and is independent of $\varepsilon$.
**Step (c): Pass to the pointwise limit.** From Step (a), $u_\varepsilon \to u$ a.e. on $\Omega$. Pick any two points $x, y \in \Omega$ at which $u_\varepsilon \to u$ — this is a.e. in $\Omega \times \Omega$ for the product measure. Then
\begin{align*}
|u(x) - u(y)| = \lim_{\varepsilon \to 0} |u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)| \le C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} |x - y|.
\end{align*}
This holds for $\mathcal{L}^n$-a.e. $x, y \in \Omega$. By redefining $u$ on a $\mathcal{L}^n$-null set, $u$ has a Lipschitz representative — call it $u$ also — on a set of full measure, which extends uniquely to a Lipschitz function on $\Omega$ by continuity (since Lipschitz functions on a dense subset of an open connected set extend to Lipschitz functions on the whole set; for a general open Lipschitz domain $\Omega$, decompose into connected components, each of which is itself a Lipschitz domain by definition, and apply the argument componentwise).
Thus $u \in \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$ with $[u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}$ and $\|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}$ unchanged from the $W^{1,\infty}$ definition. Adding,
\begin{align*}
\|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} = \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} + C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le C'_\Omega \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)}.
\end{align*}
This is the inclusion $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) \subseteq \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$ with $\|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}} \le C'_\Omega \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}}$.
[guided]
The reverse inclusion is the substantive part, and the Lipschitz boundary hypothesis enters here in two distinct places: (i) supplying smooth approximations up to the boundary, and (ii) supplying quasi-convexity of $\Omega$ so that two points can be joined by paths of comparable length to the chord.
**Smooth approximation up to the boundary.** Since $\Omega$ has Lipschitz boundary, [Smooth Approximation Up to the Boundary](/theorems/3097) provides $u_\varepsilon \in C^\infty(\overline\Omega) \cap W^{1,p}(\Omega)$ with $\|u_\varepsilon - u\|_{W^{1,p}} \to 0$ for any fixed $p < \infty$. The standard construction — partition of unity over chart neighbourhoods, translate-then-mollify on each boundary chart, mollify directly on the interior chart, sum — preserves $L^\infty$ bounds with a multiplicative constant: each step (multiplication by a $C^\infty$ cutoff, bi-Lipschitz change of variables to flatten the boundary chart, translation, mollification) maps $L^\infty$ to $L^\infty$ with a controlled increase. The result is
\begin{align*}
\|u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}, \qquad \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} \le C_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)},
\end{align*}
with $C_\Omega \ge 1$ a constant depending only on the boundary chart bi-Lipschitz constants and the cutoff functions in the partition of unity. The first inequality is the easier one (mollification with a non-negative kernel of unit mass cannot increase the $L^\infty$ norm), but the second has the inflation $C_\Omega$ from the chart constants — for example, if $\Phi: B_j \to \mathbb{R}^n$ is the bi-Lipschitz chart with constants $L^{-1} \le |\det J\Phi| \le L$ and $|\nabla\Phi|, |\nabla\Phi^{-1}| \le L$, then the chain rule gives $|\nabla(u \circ \Phi^{-1})|_\infty \le L|\nabla u|_\infty$, and likewise for the inverse change of variables.
**Why $C_\Omega \ge 1$ rather than $1$.** For convex $\Omega$, the smooth approximation can be done by a simple radial scaling and mollification, both of which preserve the gradient $L^\infty$ norm exactly, and $C_\Omega = 1$. For general Lipschitz $\Omega$ the chart geometry forces a finite $C_\Omega$ depending on the boundary roughness.
**Subsequence with a.e. convergence.** From $u_\varepsilon \to u$ in $L^p(\Omega)$ for any $p < \infty$ — note $u \in L^\infty \subset L^p$ on bounded $\Omega$ — we extract a subsequence with $u_{\varepsilon_k} \to u$ a.e. on $\Omega$.
**Lipschitz constant of $u_\varepsilon$.** The smooth $u_\varepsilon$ has continuous gradient on $\overline\Omega$ and $\|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)} = \sup_{\overline\Omega}|\nabla u_\varepsilon|$. For two points $x, y \in \Omega$, we want to bound $|u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)|$ by $|x - y|$ times the gradient norm. The fundamental theorem of calculus along a curve $\gamma: [0, 1] \to \overline\Omega$ joining $x$ and $y$ gives
\begin{align*}
|u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)| = \left|\int_0^1 \nabla u_\varepsilon(\gamma(t)) \cdot \gamma'(t)\, d\mathcal{L}^1(t)\right| \le \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\overline\Omega)}\, \ell(\gamma).
\end{align*}
We need to choose $\gamma$ with $\ell(\gamma) \le K_\Omega |x - y|$. For convex $\Omega$, the straight segment works with $K_\Omega = 1$.
**Quasi-convexity of Lipschitz domains.** For non-convex $\Omega$, the segment $[x, y]$ may leave $\Omega$. The relevant geometric fact is **quasi-convexity** of Lipschitz domains: there exists $K_\Omega < \infty$ such that any two $x, y \in \Omega$ are joined by a path in $\overline\Omega$ of length at most $K_\Omega|x - y|$. The proof of quasi-convexity for Lipschitz domains uses the chart structure: locally, the boundary is a Lipschitz graph, and within each chart one can connect points by paths whose length is bounded by a multiple of the Euclidean distance. Globally, transitions between charts cost only finitely many short detours.
**Pointwise Lipschitz bound for $u_\varepsilon$.** With $\gamma$ of length $\le K_\Omega|x - y|$,
\begin{align*}
|u_\varepsilon(x) - u_\varepsilon(y)| \le K_\Omega \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}|x - y| \le K_\Omega C_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}|x - y| =: C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}|x - y|.
\end{align*}
**Pass to the limit.** At any pair $(x, y)$ where $u_{\varepsilon_k}(x) \to u(x)$ and $u_{\varepsilon_k}(y) \to u(y)$ — i.e., for a.e. $(x, y) \in \Omega \times \Omega$ — taking $k \to \infty$:
\begin{align*}
|u(x) - u(y)| = \lim |u_{\varepsilon_k}(x) - u_{\varepsilon_k}(y)| \le C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty(\Omega)}|x - y|.
\end{align*}
This Lipschitz bound holds on the full-measure subset $E \subset \Omega$ where $u_{\varepsilon_k} \to u$. Since $u$ is uniformly continuous (in fact Lipschitz) on $E$ and $E$ is dense in $\Omega$, $u$ extends uniquely to a Lipschitz function on $\Omega$ with the same constant. Equivalently, the equivalence class $u \in W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$ contains a Lipschitz representative.
**Norm bound.** $\|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}} = \|u\|_{L^\infty} + [u]_{\operatorname{Lip}} \le \|u\|_{L^\infty} + C'_\Omega \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty} \le C'_\Omega(\|u\|_{L^\infty} + \|\nabla u\|_{L^\infty}) = C'_\Omega \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}}$, since $C'_\Omega \ge 1$.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Combine to obtain norm equivalence]
The forward inclusion (step "Show $\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega) \subseteq W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)$") gives $\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}} \le \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}}$, and the reverse inclusion (step "Show $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) \subseteq \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$") gives $\|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}} \le C'_\Omega \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}}$. Together,
\begin{align*}
\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} \le \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)} \le C'_\Omega \|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)},
\end{align*}
which is $\|u\|_{W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)} \asymp \|u\|_{\operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)}$. The set equality $W^{1,\infty}(\Omega) = \operatorname{Lip}(\Omega)$ follows: every element of one space lies in the other, and the equivalence classes (mod a.e. equality on the Sobolev side) coincide because Lipschitz representatives are unique up to no-sets.
[/step]
Explore Further
Chain Rule for Weak Derivatives
Geometric Measure Theory
BV Isoperimetric Inequality
Geometric Measure Theory
Lipschitz Bound on Hausdorff Measure
Geometric Measure Theory
Area Formula for Smooth Graphs
Geometric Measure Theory
BV Sobolev Inequality
Geometric Measure Theory
Preiss Density Theorem
Geometric Measure Theory
Measurability of Sections
Geometric Measure Theory
Portmanteau Theorem for Radon Measures
Geometric Measure Theory