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 legal declaration releases the company of contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances. —Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026

Of course, all of this discussion rests on the belief that contractual prohibitions are the load-bearing factor for preventing an AI system from being used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026

Kuwait Petroleum declared force majeure — a legal clause allowing a company not to fulfill contractual obligations because of circumstances outside its control — on sales of oil and refinery products, according to a notice seen by Bloomberg. —Fiona MacDonald, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026

On Wednesday, QatarEnergy declared force majeure, a legal term relieving the company from contractual obligations. —Julia Simon, NPR, 6 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