Meaning & use
de jure
Existing or recognized by law, as opposed to what actually happens in practice.
See it in a sentence
The country remained a de jure monarchy even though real power rested with parliament.
Segregation was outlawed de jure decades before it fully disappeared in everyday life.
A note on using this word
De jure is Latin and is regularly contrasted with 'de facto', which describes what exists in fact regardless of the law.
Words with a similar meaning
legallawful
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
de facto
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