Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or constituting a tort: Describes an act, action, or conduct that is wrongful in civil law, giving rise to a claim for damages, as distinct from a criminal offense or a breach of contract.
   • Characterized by a tort: Pertaining to the nature or quality of a civil wrong.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The court found the company's negligence to be a tortious act.
  • The plaintiff must prove the defendant's conduct was tortious to win the case.
  • Lawyers discussed the tortious interference with a business contract.

Advanced Usage

• "Tortious liability": Legal responsibility arising from committing a tort.
  • The driver faced tortious liability for the accident.
• In legal writing, "tortious" is often used to modify specific wrongful acts, such as "tortious conduct," "tortious behavior," or "tortious activity," to emphasize their nature as civil wrongs.

Variants and Related Words

• Tort (n): A wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability.
  • Negligence and defamation are examples of torts.
• Tortfeasor (n): A person who commits a tort.
  • The tortfeasor was ordered to pay compensation.

Synonyms

• Wrongful (in a civil law context)
• Delictual (a less common synonym, used in some legal systems)

Notes on Meaning

This word is almost exclusively used in a legal context. It does not describe general mistakes or harmful acts in everyday conversation but specifically those that meet the legal criteria for a tort.

Adjective

1. of or pertaining to the nature of a tort
   • tortious acts