contributory negligence: Meaning and Definition of

contrib'utory neg'ligence

Pronunciation: [key]
— Law. Law.
  1. negligence on the part of an injured party that combines with the negligence of another in causing the injury, sometimes so as to diminish or bar the recovery of damages for the injury.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.