Meaning & use
unenforceable agreement
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablelegallawformal
A contract that a court will not make the parties carry out, often because of a legal flaw.
Grammar: Countable: say 'an unenforceable agreement' or 'several unenforceable agreements'.
Patterns
- be unenforceable
- render an agreement unenforceable
- an unenforceable agreement between someone and someone
The judge ruled that the unenforceable agreement could not be used to claim damages.
An agreement signed under pressure may be unenforceable.
They discovered their unenforceable agreement gave them no legal protection.
phrasefixed phraselegallawformal
A situation where a deal exists in words but the law will not support it.
Grammar: Used as a fixed phrase in legal writing and news reports.
Patterns
- hold something to be unenforceable
The clause was held to be unenforceable in court.
Without a witness, the deal was effectively unenforceable.
Word forms
| plural | unenforceable agreements |
|---|
Common combinations
- be held unenforceable
- The non-compete clause was held unenforceable by the court.
- render an agreement unenforceable
- Missing signatures can render an agreement unenforceable.
- legally unenforceable
- The contract was legally unenforceable because it lacked consideration.
- an unenforceable contract
- Lawyers advised that it was an unenforceable contract.
Synonyms and how they differ
- void
- 'Void' means the agreement has no legal effect at all, while 'unenforceable' means it may exist but a court will not make anyone obey it.
- invalid
- 'Invalid' is broader and means not legally acceptable; 'unenforceable' focuses on the court's refusal to enforce it.
Opposites
Word family
- enforce verb
- To make people obey a law, rule, or agreement.
- enforceable adjective
- Able to be made to happen by law or authority.
- enforcement noun
- The act of making people obey a law or rule.
Commonly confused: unenforceable agreement or voidable?
unenforceable agreement vs voidable
A voidable agreement can be canceled by one party but is valid until then; an unenforceable agreement cannot be enforced by a court even though it may look valid.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unenforceable agreement' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Unenforceable agreement' is a noun phrase for a contract a court will not enforce, so option 1 fits. The other options wrongly treat it as a verb or adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unenforceable agreement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.