signatory

noun

sig·​na·​to·​ry ˈsig-nə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural signatories

: a signer with another or others

signatories to a petition

especially : a government bound with others by a signed convention

signatory adjective

Did you know?

A signatory puts his or her signature on a document that is also signed by others. In 1215 the English barons revolted against King John and forced him to join them as a signatory to the Magna Carta. This agreement stated the barons' own duties to the King but also assigned the barons clear rights and limited the King's power over them. Though the Magna Carta did nothing for the common people, it's often been called the first step toward democracy in the English-speaking countries.

Examples of signatory in a Sentence

a signatory of the Declaration of Independence

Recent Examples on the Web

Eno, Emin, and Thunberg are also signatories to the aforementioned open letter. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 June 2026

Some signatories struck a more conciliatory note. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

Charles Walker, Henry Highland Garnet and Frederick Douglass (one of Stanton’s male co-signatories) were among the most well known. — Brian Delay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026

That notice went out through a password-secure disease news-sharing network run through the International Health Regulations, a treaty to which most countries — including the United States — are signatories. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin signatorius of sealing, from signare

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for signatory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• feudatory
• gustatory

Legal Definition

signatory

noun

sig·​na·​to·​ry ˈsig-nə-ˌtōr-ē 

plural signatories

: a signer with another or others

signatories to a petition

especially : a government bound with others by a signed convention

signatory adjective