signatory
Americanadjective
noun
plural
signatoriesnoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonsignatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of signatory
1640–50, in earlier sense “used in affixing seals”; 1860–65 signatory for def. 2; < Latin signātōrius of, belonging to sealing, equivalent to signā ( re ) to mark, seal ( sign ) + -tōrius -tory 1
Explanation
A signatory is someone who signs a document and is subject to it. The co-signer for a loan is one type of signatory. A signatory is someone who signs a contract, therefore creating a legal obligation. There could be several signatories for a specific contract. Over time, this word has often been used for a person or country who signs a peace treaty. If the treaty is broken, the signatory will be blamed. You could be a signatory for a marriage, mortgage, adoption, lawsuit, or employment contract.
Vocabulary lists containing signatory
The Bean Trees
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This Week In Words: June 6–12, 2020
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Nevermoor
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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.
Iran is also a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which makes the same pledge.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
But during the last two sessions, the 191 signatory states failed to agree on a final document, and experts expect the same outcome in April.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
Around that time, both Kahn and Indyke had signatory authority on some accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025
My favorite part: A demand that the sky-high tuition of signatory universities be frozen for five years.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025
On the morning of March 7, thirty thousand German troops had rolled into the demilitarized Rhineland, in open defiance of both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact to which Germany was a signatory.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
