MEANING
Relating to the steps, rules, or processes by which something is done.
Use it for
decision processes; legal safeguards; research protocolsSeparate the way a decision was made from what was decided.
Words that belong together
- procedural fairness
- procedural rule
- procedural safeguard
On the page
A procedural safeguard required applicants to receive written reasons.
The court identified a procedural error without deciding the merits of the claim.
The meeting resolved procedural questions before debating the policy itself.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- procedural
Usage notes
Primary category: academic. Contrasts with substantive content or rights in many legal discussions. Procedural fairness can matter even when participants dislike the outcome. Normally non-gradable in this sense; comparison requires a specific contextual scale. Derived family (not inflections): procedure, procedurally.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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