Meaning & use
dispositive
Last updated
Serving to settle or decide a legal case or issue conclusively.
See it in a sentence
The judge ruled that the new evidence was dispositive of the case.
The contract's final clause proved dispositive in the dispute.
A note on using this word
Mostly used in legal contexts to describe a fact or ruling that resolves an issue completely, leaving nothing further to decide.
Words with a similar meaning
decisiveconclusive
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
inconclusive
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dispositive”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.