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 school gave him a $5.08 million buyout despite no contractual obligation. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2025

This feels more like Nassir Little’s camp tryout with the Heat a year ago, with nothing guaranteed from a contractual perspective. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2025

Senior procurement officials at the Pentagon have expressed concern over ULA's ability to deliver on its contractual commitments. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025

The tool helped identify inefficiencies and contractual breaches, resulting in the recovery of over $10 million and driving substantial improvements in operational effectiveness. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

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