contractual

adjective

con·​trac·​tu·​al kən-ˈtrak-chə-wəl 

-chəl, 

-shwəl, 

-chü-əl

: of, relating to, or constituting a contract

contractually adverb

Examples of contractual in a Sentence

They had to fulfill their contractual obligations before they could get paid.

Recent Examples on the Web

And yet dealmaking, the act that initiates the entire relationship, operates in a kind of contractual no-man’s-land where no clock runs and no consequence attaches to delay. —George Heller, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026

Judkins posted a strong rookie season despite missing all of training camp for legal and contractual reasons. —Zac Jackson, New York Times, 5 May 2026

As if the acquisitions of veterans Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks didn’t signal EVP/GM Howie Roseman’s intent to move on from Brown – likely next month, when the salary cap softens the team’s contractual hit – then certainly the trade up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the draft did. —Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026

Leaders need human-in-the-loop checkpoints on the highest-leverage decisions—high-value quotes, customs classifications, contractual commitments—alongside mandatory audit logs and version control across all agent actions. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin contractuālis, from Latin contractu-, stem of contractus contract entry 1 + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contractual

• factual
• tactual
• artifactual
• counterfactual

Kids Definition

contractual

adjective

con·​trac·​tu·​al kən-ˈtrak-chə(-wə)l 

kän-, 

-ˈtraksh-wəl

: of, relating to, or being a contract

contractual agreements

contractually

-ē

adverb

Legal Definition

contractual

adjective

con·​trac·​tu·​al kən-ˈtrak-chə-wəl 

: of, relating to, or constituting a contract

a contractual agreement

contractually adverb