Résolutif

Résolutif is a French adjective meaning capable of terminating an obligation or contract. It comes from Latin resolutus “loosened, released.” In legal drafting it describes clauses or conditions whose operation ends an agreement upon a specified event or breach. In English-language practice the corresponding terms are resolutory or resolutive clauses or conditions.

In contract law, a clause résolutoire or a résolutive condition triggers automatic termination when a defined obligation is not performed or when a specified event occurs, such as non-payment. Unlike suspensive conditions that delay effects, résolutifs extinguish the contract. The effect is self-executing, although parties may seek judicial confirmation if disputes arise. The clause may be express (explicitly stated as resolutive) or tacit in some legal regimes.

Used in commercial leases, sales agreements, and service contracts, résolutif mechanisms provide predictable remedies and influence risk allocation. They are common in French and other civil-law jurisdictions, and appear in civil codes, contract doctrine, and practice guides, where terms like clause résolutoire and condition résolutoire are discussed in drafting and litigation contexts.

Outside law, résolutif is rarely used; in English translations it is generally rendered as resolutory or resolutive, conveying the concept of automatic termination upon breach or non-performance.