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contractually

adverb

Simple meaning

According to a formal written agreement.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuhntrakchoouhlee

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kəntˈɹæktʃuəli

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. By virtue of a contract

  2. By means of a contract.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: By virtue of a contract

Used this way, contractually is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It turns up most in law or legal and ethics or values contexts.

Emotional tone
Slightly positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Positive and appreciative
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Where it naturally appears

  • Law/legal
  • Ethics/values

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use contractually

  • “They were contractually responsible.”adverb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

contractually boundcontractually obligatedcontractually agreedcontractually specifiedcontractually fixedcontractually definedcontractually committedcontractually agree

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • contractualadjectiveBase word

    Relating to or part of a binding legal agreement.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.