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Synonyms

decree nisi

American  
[nahy-sahy] / ˈnaɪ saɪ /

noun

Law.

  1. a decree, especially of divorce, that will become absolute at a later date.

decree nisi British  
/ ˈnaɪsaɪ /

noun

  1. a provisional decree, esp in divorce proceedings, which will later be made absolute unless cause is shown why it should not Compare decree absolute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of decree nisi

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A decree nisi was due to be granted in March 2021.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2022

His children cried, last August, when he announced he would be leaving, when he filed the paperwork to complete his decree nisi, and that was enough to persuade him to stay.

From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2021

And it replaces the terms "decree nisi" and "decree absolute" with "conditional order" and "final order".

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2020

In that year, too, the affadavit of his decree nisi ending his marriage with Frost was sent from the high court to a tabloid before it reached him.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2013

Form of Divorce Decree.—A decree of divorce in any of the States is granted nisi, or provisionally, and cannot be made absolute until three months have elapsed after the decree nisi is entered.

From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Ringrose, Hyacinthe

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.