Meaning & use
non-litigious
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformallegal
Not involving or likely to involve a lawsuit; preferring to settle disagreements without going to court.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a non-litigious approach / the approach is non-litigious.
Patterns
- a non-litigious approach
- a non-litigious dispute
- be non-litigious about something
The company prefers a non-litigious approach to contract disagreements.
Their family is famously non-litigious and settles everything privately.
A non-litigious resolution saved both sides time and legal fees.
Common combinations
- non-litigious approach
- We recommend a non-litigious approach for small claims.
- non-litigious dispute resolution
- Mediation is a form of non-litigious dispute resolution.
- remain non-litigious
- The parties agreed to remain non-litigious during negotiations.
- a non-litigious culture
- Some industries have a non-litigious culture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- amicable
- Amicable describes a friendly, peaceful relationship or settlement, but does not specifically mean 'not involving lawsuits'.
- out-of-court
- Out-of-court refers to a settlement reached without a trial, but it can still involve lawyers and formal legal steps.
Opposites
Word family
- litigious adjective
- Too ready to go to court; fond of lawsuits.
- litigation noun
- The process of taking a legal case to court.
- litigate verb
- To take a disagreement to court.
Commonly confused: non-litigious or litigious?
non-litigious vs litigious
Litigious means 'quick to sue'; non-litigious means the opposite. The prefix non- changes the meaning completely.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'non-litigious' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The second sentence correctly describes a company that avoids lawsuits. The first is wrong because 'more non-litigious' is not a natural comparative. The third misuses the word for a school context. The fourth confuses it with criminal law, which is not about lawsuits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-litigious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.