self-executing

American  

[self-ek-si-kyoo-ting, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈɛk sɪˌkju tɪŋ, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

1. going into effect immediately without the need of supplementary legislation.

   a self-executing treaty.

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self-executing British  

adjective

1. (of a law, treaty, or clause in a deed or contract, etc) coming into effect automatically at a specified time, no legislation or other action being needed for enforcement

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Etymology

Origin of self-executing

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-executing

Yet its authority is not self-executing: It relies on lower courts to implement its decisions, extend their logic, and normalize the resulting excesses.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

The justices may also have to decide whether the language of the amendment is "self-executing" - that is, whether it was not necessary for Congress to pass accompanying legislation to give the amendment teeth.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024

Importantly, the Supreme Court in 1883 declared that the 14th Amendment is “undoubtedly self-executing without any ancillary legislation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

The ruling declared the green amendment self-executing, meaning it does not depend on additional legislation to go into effect.

From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2023

There was another very serious question which I raised myself, and that was, whether legislation was necessary to carry them into effect, or whether the treaties were self-executing.

From Fifty Years of Public Service by Cullom, Shelby M.