Words / D / Law

dispositive

adjective/dɪˈspɒzɪtɪv/

C2CEFR level
80/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

Serving to settle or finally determine a legal question or issue.

The limitation point was dispositive, so the court did not need to consider the merits.

Similar: decisive, conclusive

Topic: Court & advocacy in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Court & advocacy