Word
pursuant
Phoneticspur·suant
US/pɝˈsuənt/
UK/pəsjˈuːənt/
Definitions
01according to a rule
adj. done according to a law, rule, or agreement; you use this with the word 'to'.
adj. acting in accordance with or in conformance to a specific rule or authority; almost exclusively followed by the preposition 'to'.
“Pursuant to the new law, all businesses must now recycle their paper waste.”
“Pursuant to the terms of the contract, the final payment was released only after the architect had certified the completion of the project.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Almost always used in the phrase 'pursuant to' followed by a noun phrase representing a rule or document.
Teaching tip
This is a high-register legal term; students should use 'according to' or 'following' in everyday writing and speech.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02consequently
adv. as a result of something else that happened.
adv. in a consequent or following manner; used to show that an action happens as a result of a previous one.
“The committee reached a decision, and pursuant, the project began.”
“The board issued a formal warning and, pursuant, the manager submitted his resignation the following morning.”
Archaic · Formal
Usage
Rarely used as a standalone adverb in modern English; usually replaced by 'consequently' or 'accordingly'.
Synonyms
Etymology
Anglo-Norman pursuant, present participle of pursure. Doublet of pursuivant.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/pursuant