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Glite Dictionary
nolo contendere

nolo contendere

2 9.9
A way for a person accused of a crime to accept punishment without admitting they did it
  • noun
  • /ˈnoʊloʊ kənˈtɛndəri/
  • Formal
: nolo contendere
  • Another vice president, Spiro Agnew, kept completely silent before pleading nolo contendere on corruption charges.
  • nolo contendere plea
  • plead nolo contendere

Examples

  • After much consideration, he decided that a nolo contendere plea would be the best way to resolve the charges against him.

  • While imprisoned, he missed the birth of his only child, lost his job, and feared losing his home and vehicle. Ultimately, he pled nolo contendere in order to return home.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The company pleaded nolo contendere.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Ultimately, he pled nolo contendere in order to return home.

    Academic text (2017)

  • L: Nolo contendere.

    Blog text (30)

  • Nolo contendere.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Brinkema interpreted that as a plea of nolo contendere, which she wouldn't accept.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The trial for the crime had never taken place because our lawyer convinced us—Alec, my daughter, and me—that she should plead nolo contendere: guilty, in a word.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The defendant chose to plead nolo contendere to avoid a lengthy trial.

  • In some jurisdictions, accepting a nolo contendere plea may allow the defendant to avoid admitting guilt while still facing penalties.

Synonyms

non vult
vsnolo contendere
  • Formal
9.9

A plea where a defendant does not admit guilt but accepts conviction

is the same plea but presented with a different traditional phrasing

Surface Forms

nolo contendere singular
nolo contendere plural

Morphology

nolo + contendere

This is a fixed Latin legal term rather than a compositional English phrase, and the listed constituents are not English words a B1 learner would know or be able to combine to get the legal sense. Even familiarity with the Latin roots would not reliably convey the procedural nuance (a plea accepting conviction without admitting guilt), so the meaning is unpredictable from the parts.

Etymology

Nolo contendere comes from Latin and literally puts together nolo meaning 'I do not want' and contendere meaning 'to fight or argue', so imagine someone saying they will not fight the case. That's why a plea of nolo contendere lets a defendant accept the punishment without admitting guilt, like saying 'no contest'.