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

Yet without laws allowing for domestic partnerships of three or more people, they are left spending thousands of dollars on attorney’s fees to craft a patchwork of legal agreements that afford just small fraction of the contractual protection conferred to married couples by default. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

But all that would change after the July 7, 2021, slaying of Haiti’s president, when both agents would eventually cut off contact with Pretel and the FBI terminated its contractual engagement with him. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026

The federal Western Area Power Administration has contractual obligations to provide a certain amount of electricity to its customers. —ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

After the band’s breakup, an edited down portion of that recording was released as the only official Smiths live album to fulfill a contractual obligation to Rough Trade. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 20 Apr. 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