Contractual

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or contained in a formal agreement between two or more parties that is legally binding
2. Pertaining to a legally binding agreement established between two or more entities that creates specific rights and obligations
3. Concerning an enforceable arrangement that delineates the roles, responsibilities, and duties of the involved parties

Etymology: "Contractual" is a plain formation: the noun "contract" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ual" attached. That suffix comes from Latin "-alis," which English took in through Old French and Latin in a long run of words like "annual" and "mutual," and it turns a noun into a sense of "relating to" or "having the character of" that noun. So a contractual obligation is one that belongs to a contract, something bound by its terms rather than by goodwill alone. The noun underneath has a more physical history. "Contract" comes from Latin "contractus," the past participle of "contrahere," meaning "to draw together" or "to bring together," built from "con-" (together) and "trahere" (to draw). The original picture is two parties being pulled into one agreement, and the sense of a binding deal grew out of that act of drawing things together.

Synonyms: binding, legal, obligatory, formal, official

Antonyms: nonbinding, informal, voluntary, optional, discretionary