Resolutive

Resolutive is an adjective derived from resolve, used primarily in legal and contractual contexts to denote something that terminates or dissolves a relationship or obligation. In many civil-law traditions, the term appears in the French phrase condition résolutoire, often translated as a resolutive condition. The concept is opposite to a suspensive condition, which delays effect until a specified event occurs.

In contract law, a resolutive condition provides that the contract ends if a stated event happens. When the event occurs, the contract is dissolved and the duties of the parties are extinguished, typically from the moment of termination; however, some jurisdictions treat the effect as retroactive to the date of the event. The resolutive clause is commonly used as a risk-management tool, offering a clear mechanism to terminate an agreement upon breach, non-performance, or other specified contingencies.

Common contexts for resolutive clauses include leases, loan agreements, supplier contracts, and other commercial arrangements. Drafting a resolutive clause requires careful specification of the triggering event, the consequences of termination, and the treatment of already performed obligations or compensation.

Outside of law, resolutive is less frequently used, but may appear in philosophical or analytical writing to describe processes or statements that resolve or end a debate or issue. In legal writing, it is sometimes abbreviated as a resolutive clause or condition.

See also: condition suspensive, termination clause, contract dissolution.