Are "stipulate" and "determine" interchangeable? Can I say, "the Government Regulation is determined by the Presidential Decree", for instance, or simply use "stipulated" instead? I read on the internet that "determine" means ‘to set limits’ while "stipulate" is 'to require (something) as a condition of a contract or agreement', but I don't really get it.
22k 13 13 gold badges 86 86 silver badges 180 180 bronze badges asked Feb 21, 2018 at 11:59 sri rahmawati sri rahmawati 97 8 8 bronze badgesNo. Neither colloquially nor in legal speak are they interchangeable. In law, a stipulation is a "formal legal acknowledgement and agreement made between opposing parties prior to a pending hearing or trial." For example, say you and I are litigating over a contract dispute. Sometimes it may be in our interest to stipulate to the fact that there was a valid contract. It increases in efficiency of the court system, saves money and time not arguing over obvious things, and generally just lets the proceedings address the topics required of them. To determine something, conversely, is simply to make a decision or to establish something as fact, often after research or measurements.
answered Feb 21, 2018 at 12:11 2,839 11 11 silver badges 26 26 bronze badgesTo simplify further, a "stipulation" whatever the context, is something agreed to by more than one person, while to "determine" something, is an act that can be done either unilaterally or by agreement.