decree absolute

British

noun

the final decree in divorce proceedings, which leaves the parties free to remarry Compare decree nisi

"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

Example Sentences

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

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2020

The couple married in France six months later, after Wallis’ decree absolute came through.

From The Guardian • Jan. 9, 2020

Both he and Mrs John believed their divorce had been finalised in 2001, but it was only after his death that they realised the decree absolute had never been pronounced.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2014

The couple will now have to wait six weeks before they can be granted a "decree absolute", which will formally terminate their 10-year marriage.

From Reuters • Jul. 31, 2013

Both the decree nisi and the decree absolute were granted.

From Women's Wild Oats Essays on the Re-fixing of Moral Standards by Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)

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