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

The official had little sympathy for Amodei’s position, which all but explicitly stated that his arbitrary contractual stipulations were the only acceptable bulwark against government impunity. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

Ever since, the two sides have been locked in a fight over whether Anthropic can write contractual limits on how its models are used. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026

The two companies have been in contractual agreements for 45 years, Sesame Workshop said. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026

Any future deal would remain subject to technical qualification, regulatory approvals, and contractual negotiations. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 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

• artifactual
• counterfactual
• factual
• tactual

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