de jure
adverb or adjective
(ˌ)dā-ˈyu̇r-
Did you know?
Coming straight from Latin, de jure is a term used mostly, but not always, in legal writing. Sometimes it's not enough to have something written into law; if a law isn't enforced, it might as well not exist. And if ordinary citizens are too scared of what would happen to them if they exercised their rights, then they don't really have those rights at all. Unfortunately, many countries have constitutions and laws that sound good but turn out not to have much effect. So de jure is almost always used in contrast to something else; its opposite is de facto.
Examples of de jure in a Sentence
Chase Strangio, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
The answer would hinge on whether the courts saw northern segregation as de jure (resulting from state action) or de facto (resulting from happenstance).
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Feb. 2025
The plaintiffs in the 1970 lawsuit argued that the segregation of the Detroit school system was de jure.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Feb. 2025
So, the upshot is that an end to sanctions, de facto or de jure, should see more Russian oil on the market, but not until upstream investment rises.
—Michael Lynch, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de jure
Cite this Entry
“De jure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20jure. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
de jure
adverb or adjective
Medieval Latin, literally, from the law
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