Stipulatif

Stipulatif, in English often called a stipulative definition, refers to a definition that a speaker or writer provides for a term for the sake of discussion. It assigns a specific meaning to a word within the context of a particular argument, text, or inquiry, regardless of the term’s preexisting or common usage. The defining act is intentional and contrasts with how the term is ordinarily used outside the current discussion.

Stipulative definitions are distinguished from lexical or descriptive definitions, which report how a term is generally used in a language, and from precising definitions, which aim to reduce vagueness without altering conventional meaning. A stipulative definition is usually explicit about its status, often signaling that the term is being given a new or particular meaning only for the present discourse. It may be ad hoc and temporary, serving the needs of a specific argument rather than asserting a claim about real-world usage.

Example: In a paper on decision theory, the author might define stipulatively that “risk” means “the expected loss in utility under a given choice,” solely for the purposes of the analysis. This does not deny other uses of “risk”; it merely fixes a meaning for the discussion at hand.

In practice, stipulative definitions aid clarity and argumentative precision, but readers should note when a term is being defined stipulatively. Clear labeling helps prevent confusion with ordinary usage and with other definitional approaches. See also lexical definition, precising definition, theoretical definition, and ostensive definition.