Appointment vs. Contract — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 6, 2024
Appointment refers to a specific time arranged for a meeting or event, focusing on scheduling, while a contract is a formal agreement between parties, emphasizing legal obligations and rights.
Difference Between Appointment and Contract
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
An appointment is often made for a specific date and time, primarily for meetings, interviews, or any other significant events where the presence of the involved parties is required. On the other hand, a contract is a legally binding agreement that outlines the terms and conditions agreed upon by the parties involved, often including provisions for breach and remedies.
Appointments are usually more temporary and flexible, often subject to changes or cancellations by the involved parties. Whereas contracts are more permanent and rigid, with changes requiring mutual agreement or resulting in legal implications.
The purpose of an appointment is to allocate a specific time slot for a particular activity or meeting, ensuring that all involved parties agree to meet or engage in an activity at that time. In contrast, a contract aims to create a legally enforceable obligation between the parties, defining their rights, duties, and the terms of their relationship.
Appointments can be informal or formal, made verbally or through written communication without necessarily involving legal implications. However, contracts are formal by nature, requiring specific elements to be legally valid, including offer, acceptance, consideration, and the intention to create legal relations.
The content of an appointment is typically straightforward, mentioning the date, time, and purpose of the meeting. Meanwhile, a contract contains detailed provisions, including the scope of work, payment terms, confidentiality clauses, and termination conditions, among others.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Definition
A specific time set for a meeting or event.
A formal agreement with legal obligations.
Nature
Temporal and flexible.
Permanent and legally binding.
Purpose
To allocate time for activities or meetings.
To establish enforceable obligations.
Formality
Can be informal or formal.
Always formal with specific legal requirements.
Content
Date, time, and purpose of the meeting.
Detailed terms including rights, duties, etc.
Compare with Definitions
Appointment
A fixed arrangement for a service or meeting.
We made an appointment for a consultation with the architect.
Contract
An agreement creating obligations enforceable by law.
The contract specifies the conditions under which termination is possible.
Appointment
A specific time set aside for a particular purpose.
I have a doctor's appointment at 3 PM tomorrow.
Contract
A legally binding agreement between two or more parties.
They signed a contract to begin the construction work next month.
Appointment
The allocation of a specific time for an event.
The appointment for the board meeting is set for June 10th.
Contract
An agreement with specific terms for employment, sale, or rent.
Her employment contract is up for renewal next quarter.
Appointment
The act of appointing or designating someone for a position or task.
She received her official appointment as the director last week.
Contract
A document outlining the terms of an agreement.
The contract includes a confidentiality clause to protect proprietary information.
Appointment
A position to which someone is appointed.
His new appointment in the company comes with greater responsibilities.
Contract
A commitment between parties to fulfill certain conditions.
The contract obligates them to complete the project within the agreed timeframe.
Appointment
Stipulation; agreement; the act of fixing by mutual agreement.
Contract
A contract is a legally binding document between at least two parties that defines and governs the rights and duties of the parties to an agreement. A contract is legally enforceable because it meets the requirements and approval of the law.
Appointment
The act of appointing or designating someone for an office or position.
Contract
An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law.
Appointment
The office or position to which one has been appointed.
Contract
The writing or document containing such an agreement.
Appointment
An arrangement to do something or meet someone at a particular time and place.
Contract
The branch of law dealing with formal agreements between parties.
Appointment
Appointments Furnishings, fittings, or equipment.
Contract
Marriage as a formal agreement; betrothal.
Appointment
(Law) The act of directing the disposition of property by virtue of a power granted for this purpose.
Contract
The last and highest bid of a suit in one hand in bridge.
Appointment
The act of appointing a person to hold an office or to have a position of trust
His appointment as treasurer was deemed suitable.
Contract
The number of tricks thus bid.
Appointment
The state of being appointed to a service or office; an office to which one is appointed
The appointment of treasurer
Contract
Contract bridge.
Appointment
An arrangement between people to meet; an engagement.
They made an appointment to meet at six.
I'm leaving work early because I have a doctor's appointment.
Contract
A paid assignment to murder someone
Put out a contract on the mobster's life.
Appointment
(religion) Decree; direction; established order or constitution.
To submit to the divine appointments.
Contract
To enter into by contract; establish or settle by formal agreement
Contract a marriage.
Appointment
(law) The exercise of the power of designating (under a power of appointment) a person to enjoy an estate or other specific property; also, the instrument by which the designation is made.
Contract
To acquire or incur
Contract obligations.
Contract a serious illness.
Appointment
(government) The assignment of a person by an official to perform a duty, such as a presidential appointment of a judge to a court.
Contract
To reduce in size by drawing together; shrink.
Appointment
(in the plural) Equipment, furniture.
Contract
To pull together; wrinkle.
Appointment
(US) An honorary part or exercise, as an oration, etc., at a public exhibition of a college.
To have an appointment
Contract
(Grammar) To shorten (a word or words) by omitting or combining some of the letters or sounds, as do not to don't.
Appointment
(obsolete) The allowance paid to a public officer.
Contract
To enter into or make an agreement
Contract for garbage collection.
Appointment
The act of appointing; designation of a person to hold an office or discharge a trust; as, he erred by the appointment of unsuitable men.
Contract
To become reduced in size by or as if by being drawn together
The pupils of the patient's eyes contracted.
Appointment
The state of being appointed to som service or office; an office to which one is appointed; station; position; an, the appointment of treasurer.
Contract
An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
Marriage is a contract.
Sign a contract
Write up a contract
Read a contract
Countersign a contract
Legally-binding contract
Unwritten contract
Appointment
Stipulation; agreement; the act of fixing by mutual agreement. Hence:: Arrangement for a meeting; engagement; as, they made an appointment to meet at six.
Contract
(legal) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
Appointment
Decree; direction; established order or constitution; as, to submit to the divine appointments.
According to the appointment of the priests.
Contract
(legal) The document containing such an agreement.
Appointment
The exercise of the power of designating (under a "power of appointment") a person to enjoy an estate or other specific property; also, the instrument by which the designation is made.
Contract
(legal) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
Appointment
Equipment, furniture, as for a ship or an army; whatever is appointed for use and management; outfit; (pl.) the accouterments of military officers or soldiers, as belts, sashes, swords.
The cavaliers emulated their chief in the richness of their appointments.
I'll prove it in my shackles, with these handsVoid of appointment, that thou liest.
Contract
(informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
The mafia boss put a contract out on the man who betrayed him.
Appointment
An allowance to a person, esp. to a public officer; a perquisite; - properly only in the plural.
An expense proportioned to his appointments and fortune is necessary.
Contract
(bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
Appointment
A honorary part or exercise, as an oration, etc., at a public exhibition of a college; as, to have an appointment.
Contract
(obsolete) Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
Appointment
The act of putting a person into a non-elective position;
The appointment had to be approved by the whole committee
Contract
(obsolete) Not abstract; concrete.
Appointment
A meeting arranged in advance;
She asked how to avoid kissing at the end of a date
Contract
(ambitransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
The snail’s body contracted into its shell.
To contract one’s sphere of action
Appointment
(usually plural) furnishings and equipment (especially for a ship or hotel)
Contract
(grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
The word “cannot” is often contracted into “can’t”.
Appointment
A person who is appointed to a job or position
Contract
(transitive) To enter into a contract with. en
Appointment
The job to which you are (or hope to be) appointed;
He applied for an appointment in the treasury
Contract
(transitive) To enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for.
Appointment
(law) the act of disposing of property by virtue of the power of appointment;
She allocated part of the trust to her church by appointment
Contract
(intransitive) To make an agreement or contract; to covenant; to agree; to bargain.
To contract for carrying the mail
Contract
(transitive) To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
She contracted the habit of smoking in her teens.
To contract a debt
Contract
(transitive) To gain or acquire (an illness).
Contract
To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
Contract
To betroth; to affiance.
Contract
To draw together or nearer; to reduce to a less compass; to shorten, narrow, or lessen; as, to contract one's sphere of action.
In all things desuetude doth contract and narrow our faculties.
Contract
To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
Thou didst contract and purse thy brow.
Contract
To bring on; to incur; to acquire; as, to contract a habit; to contract a debt; to contract a disease.
Each from each contract new strength and light.
Such behavior we contract by having much conversed with persons of high station.
Contract
To enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for.
We have contracted an inviolable amity, peace, and lague with the aforesaid queen.
Many persons . . . had contracted marriage within the degrees of consanguinity . . . prohibited by law.
Contract
To betroth; to affiance.
The truth is, she and I, long since contracted,Are now so sure, that nothing can dissolve us.
Contract
To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
Contract
To be drawn together so as to be diminished in size or extent; to shrink; to be reduced in compass or in duration; as, iron contracts in cooling; a rope contracts when wet.
Years contracting to a moment.
Contract
To make an agreement; to covenant; to agree; to bargain; as, to contract for carrying the mail.
Contract
Contracted; as, a contract verb.
Contract
Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
Contract
The agreement of two or more persons, upon a sufficient consideration or cause, to do, or to abstain from doing, some act; an agreement in which a party undertakes to do, or not to do, a particular thing; a formal bargain; a compact; an interchange of legal rights.
Contract
A formal writing which contains the agreement of parties, with the terms and conditions, and which serves as a proof of the obligation.
Contract
The act of formally betrothing a man and woman.
This is the the night of the contract.
Contract
A binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
Contract
(contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
Contract
A variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid
Contract
Enter into a contractual arrangement
Contract
Engage by written agreement;
They signed two new pitchers for the next season
Contract
Squeeze or press together;
She compressed her lips
The spasm contracted the muscle
Contract
Become smaller or draw together;
The fabric shrank
The balloon shrank
Contract
Be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness;
He got AIDS
She came down with pneumonia
She took a chill
Contract
Make smaller;
The heat contracted the woollen garment
Contract
Compress or concentrate;
Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan
Contract
Make or become more narrow or restricted;
The selection was narrowed
The road narrowed
Contract
Reduce in scope while retaining essential elements;
The manuscript must be shortened
Common Curiosities
Is a contract legally binding?
Yes, a contract is legally binding, obligating the parties to fulfill the terms agreed upon.
Can an appointment be changed or canceled?
Yes, appointments can generally be changed or canceled, often with less formality than altering a contract.
What are the essential elements of a contract?
The essential elements include offer, acceptance, consideration, and the intention to create legal relations.
How can an appointment be made?
An appointment can be made verbally, in writing, or through digital communication platforms.
Can an appointment be part of a contract?
Yes, an appointment can be part of a contract if it specifies a meeting or event related to the agreement.
Can a contract be oral?
Yes, contracts can be oral unless legislation requires them to be in writing for certain types of agreements.
What is the main difference between an appointment and a contract?
An appointment refers to a specific time arranged for a meeting, while a contract is a formal agreement with legal obligations.
What happens if a contract is breached?
Breach of contract can lead to legal remedies such as damages, specific performance, or termination of the contract.
What is the significance of an appointment in professional settings?
It ensures time is allocated for specific discussions or decisions, aiding in efficient time management.
What types of appointments are there?
There are various types, including medical, business, and social appointments.
Are contracts enforceable in all jurisdictions?
While enforceable in most jurisdictions, the specific laws and requirements can vary.
Can anyone enter into a contract?
Generally, parties must be of legal age and sound mind to enter into a contract.
What is a void contract?
A void contract is one that is not legally enforceable from its inception, often due to illegality or impossibility.
Do all contracts need to be written?
Not all contracts need to be in writing to be enforceable, but some types, like real estate agreements, often do.
What role does consideration play in a contract?
Consideration refers to something of value exchanged between the parties, which is a requisite for a valid contract.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Village vs. Subdivision
Next Comparison
Wheat vs. SheafAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
