litigation

litigation — noun

1. the process of using the court system to settle a disagreement, with a judge mak

1.nounB2
Definition

the process of using the court system to settle a disagreement, with a judge making the final decision

Example

The two software companies spent three years in litigation over the patent.

collocation: spend years in litigation

Facing costly litigation, the landlord agreed to fix the broken heater.

collocation: facing costly litigation

Common collocations
  • go to litigation
  • enter into litigation
  • litigation costs
  • litigation process
Synonyms
  • lawsuit

    refers to a single countable claim brought to court; more specific than 'litigation'

  • legal action

    a general term for any step taken through the legal system; less formal in tone

  • court case

    focuses on the specific matter the court handles, not the full process

Antonyms
  • settlement

    an agreement reached outside of court to end a dispute privately

Grammar Patterns

litigation + over [topic]

litigation + between [parties]

Usage Note

Litigation is an uncountable noun, so it cannot be used with 'a' (❌ a litigation). For a single countable instance, use 'lawsuit' or 'legal case'.

Common Mistakes

The company is facing a long litigation.
The company is facing a long legal battle.
'litigation' is uncountable; use a countable noun like 'legal battle' or 'lawsuit' for a specific instance.

Word family

  • litigate
    verbC1
  • litigant
    nounC1
  • litigious
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Litigation, lawsuit, legal action, court case, and proceedings all relate to the use of courts to settle a disagreement, but they differ in scope. Litigation is the broadest term and describes the entire process of taking a dispute through court, from the first documents filed to the final judgment. A lawsuit is a specific claim that a person or organization brings to court to start that process. Legal action is a general phrase that can refer to any step taken through the legal system, from a warning letter to a full trial. A court case is the particular matter a judge handles at a given time. Proceedings is a formal term for the events and steps that happen in court while a case is active. For example: the company faced years of litigation over the contract (the whole process). She filed a lawsuit against her former employer (a specific claim). The judge heard the court case in the morning (the particular matter).

lawsuit ↗legal actioncourt caseproceedings

Common collocations

Nouns

  • litigation costs
  • litigation process
  • litigation strategy
  • litigation department

Phrases

  • threat of litigation
  • years of litigation
  • outcome of litigation
  • subject to litigation

Prepositions

  • litigation over
  • litigation between
  • litigation against

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Litigation comes from the Latin word 'litigatio', meaning 'a dispute carried out in court'. This was formed from 'litigare' ('to go to court'), a combination of 'lis' ('a legal case or quarrel') and 'agere' ('to drive forward' or 'to act'). It entered English through Old French.