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 Department of Defense’s quarrel with the Anthropic began after the company refused to back down over contractual guardrails around the use of its Claude AI model in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. —Devan Cole, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026

All spending outside of contractual obligations had to get the approval of Houchard or an assistant superintendent. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026

The first is that Gastineau lacked contractual power to stop 30 for 30 from using the Favre video. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Per Variety, Apatow has also yet to receive payment following delivery of the film, raising concerns about whether Row K can fulfill its contractual obligations. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 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