enactment

American  

[en-akt-muhnt] / ɛnˈækt mənt /

noun

1. the act of enacting.

2. the state or fact of being enacted.

3. something that is enacted; a law or statute.

4. a single provision of a law.

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Other Word Forms

• nonenactment
  noun
• reenactment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of enactment

First recorded in 1810–20; enact + -ment

Explanation

The process of making something into a law is enactment. The enactment of new legislation in your town means that you'll now have to keep your dog on a leash in all public parks. Enactment comes from the verb enact, which has long been used to mean "establish as law." This legal terminology has "act" at its center, meaning both "to do" and "written proof of something that's been said, done, or agreed to." Legitimizing this kind of act as law is where enactment comes in. You can also use this word for the resulting law itself: "The enactment doesn't affect me — I never let my dog off her leash anyway."

Example Sentences

“They’re not taking into account all the legislative history and statements made at the time of the enactment of Dodd-Frank.”

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

To make that enactment concrete, Rosenzweig founded a pioneering adult-education institute.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Yet the most exacting enactment of Rosenzweig’s theology was private, where truth flickers in the risky traffic between souls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

And this was the best he could find: “Two cherry-picked newspaper references almost 20 years apart, and at least 30 years before the enactment of the FTCA.”

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

The next play we did for assembly was an enactment, totally adapted by Mrs. Finley, I believe, of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• legislation
• proclamation
• ratification