Phrase guide

de jure

adj · adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /deɪ ˈd͡ʒʊɹi/
  • US:
  • US: /də-/
  • US: /-ˈd͡ʒʊ(ə)ɹ/
  • US: /-ˈʒʊəɹeɪ/
  • US: /-ˈʒʊɹ/
  • US: /-ˈjʊəɹeɪ/
  • UK: /deɪ ˈd͡ʒʊəɹeɪ/
  • UK: /deɪ ˈd͡ʒʊəɹɪ/
  • UK: /diː ˈd͡ʒʊəɹi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Legal; justified by right or by law, especially when in name only.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

By right; in accordance with or as deemed by the statute of the law, particularly as opposed to actual practice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: technically
  • I used to spend my Sundays playing pinball despite it being de jure illegal under an unenforced bylaw.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: legally, legalistically, technically

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

by right; according to law

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • de jure recognition of the new government

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: de facto

4

adverb

Meaning 4

by law; conforming to the law

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we are lawfully wedded now

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: legally, lawfully

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin dē jūre (literally “according to law”).

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: դե յուրե (de yure) — by right
  • Catalan: de iure — by right
  • Chinese Mandarin: 法理上 — by right
  • Dutch: de jure — by right
  • Finnish: de jure — by right
  • Finnish: lain mukaan — by right
  • Finnish: laillisesti — by right
  • French: de jure — by right
  • French: de droit — by right
  • Galician: de dereito — by right
  • Galician: de jure — by right
  • German: de jure — by right
  • Greek: εκ του νόμου (ek tou nómou) — by right
  • Greek: ντε γιούρε (nte gioúre) — by right
  • Greek: αυτοδικαίως (aftodikaíos) — by right
  • Hindi: विधिनुसार (vidhinusār) — by right
  • Japanese: デ・ジュリ (de-juri) — by right
  • Japanese: 法律上の (hōritsujō no) — by right
  • Polish: wedle prawa — by right
  • Polish: de iure — by right
  • Portuguese: de jure — by right
  • Russian: де-ю́ре (dɛ-júrɛ) — by right
  • Russian: юриди́ческий (juridíčeskij) — by right
  • Russian: по пра́ву (po právu) — by right
  • Swedish: de jure — by right
  • Turkish: dejure — by right
  • Turkish: hükmen — by right
  • Dutch: de jure — Translations
  • Spanish: de iure — Translations
  • Spanish: de jure (de iure) — Translations