Dispositive

adj, noun

adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative form of dispositif. alt-of, alternative

    "Apollinaire thus used some of the characteristics of the cinematographic and phonographic dispositives and their variables related to viewing or listening apparatuses that preceded or are contemporary to the cinema."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Intending to, resulting in, or capable of disposition (disposing, disposing of, or settling a matter).

    "We were unable to produce any dispositive evidence to support our case."

  2. 2
    Being a statutory provision not mandatory to the parties, as in ius dispositivum.

    "The second salient feature of the new Labour Code was an increase in the proportion of dispositive provisions at the expense of cogent provisions which, as the subsequent legal development showed, was not quite adequate."

  3. 3
    By natural disposition, having such an inclination. obsolete

Antonyms

All antonyms

Example

More examples

"We were unable to produce any dispositive evidence to support our case."

Etymology

From Middle French dispositif and its source, Latin dispositus. Compare Piedmontese dispositiv.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.