Meaning & use
promissory
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformallegalfinance
Stating a formal promise, especially a written promise to pay money.
Grammar: Comes before a noun, usually 'note' or 'oath': a promissory note.
Patterns
- promissory note
- promissory oath
The buyer signed a promissory note agreeing to pay the full amount in ninety days.
Banks often hold a promissory note as proof that a borrower must repay a loan.
The court treated the letter as a promissory document because it clearly promised payment.
Common combinations
- promissory note
- He gave her a promissory note for the money he owed.
- sign a promissory note
- You must sign a promissory note before the loan is approved.
- secured promissory note
- A secured promissory note is backed by property the lender can take.
- promissory oath
- Officials take a promissory oath to carry out their duties honestly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- binding
- Binding means legally forced to be obeyed; promissory specifically describes a document that contains a promise, not just any enforceable term.
- contractual
- Contractual relates to any part of a contract, while promissory points to the promise itself, especially a promise to pay.
Word family
Commonly confused: promissory or promising?
promissory vs promising
Promising means likely to be good or successful, as in 'a promising student'. Promissory means containing a promise, as in 'a promissory note'.
Practice
The borrower signed a _____ note agreeing to repay the loan within a year.
Choose one answer.
'Promissory note' is the fixed legal phrase for a written promise to pay. 'Promising' means likely to succeed, and 'promised' and 'promise' do not form this legal term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “promissory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.