What does enjoining mean?
Enjoining is the present participle and gerund of the verb enjoin, meaning to command or urge someone authoritatively to do — or, especially in modern usage, not to do — a particular thing. It carries a distinctly formal tone and appears most often in legal contexts, where a court may be described as enjoining a party from taking some action, effectively barring it under penalty of contempt. Outside the courtroom, enjoining survives in elevated prose and religious or ceremonial language, where leaders are said to be enjoining virtue or duty upon their followers. The word derives from Latin injungere, 'to impose upon,' via Old French enjoindre. Because of its visual similarity to enjoying, it is frequently misread at speed, though its meaning could hardly be more different: enjoyment is voluntary pleasure, while enjoining is binding obligation imposed from above.
Directing or urging someone authoritatively to do something, or legally restraining them from doing something.
"The appellate panel affirmed the district court in enjoining enforcement of the statute."
Almost exclusively formal; the prohibitive sense predominates in contemporary legal writing.
An instance of commanding or legally restraining; an injunction.
"The enjoining took effect immediately upon filing."
Rare compared with the verb form; 'injunction' is strongly preferred in legal contexts.
Very rare; the plural noun form is uncommon and typically replaced by 'injunctions' in legal writing.
"The record lists several enjoinings issued against the firm over the past decade."
Despite looking like 'enjoying', enjoining is what courts do when they want to stop you cold — one letter apart, two utterly different worlds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enjoining
Enjoining comes from the verb enjoin, which entered English from Old French enjoindre, itself derived from Latin injungere, meaning 'to impose upon' or 'to attach to.' The Latin root joins iungere, 'to join,' with the prefix in-, giving the underlying image of fastening an obligation onto someone. English adopted the word in the late Middle Ages, and it has retained a formal, authoritative character ever since. It shares this Latin joining-root with words such as junction, juncture, and disjointed.
Related word forms
How enjoining is actually used
Highly formal register, found chiefly in legal documents, court reporting, and elevated prose. In everyday speech, speakers almost always use simpler verbs like 'ordering' or 'banning'. The negative sense (prohibiting) dominates in modern legal usage, while the positive sense ('enjoining someone to do something') survives mostly in literary or religious contexts.
Easily confused with enjoining
Enjoining means commanding or prohibiting by legal or moral authority, whereas enjoying means taking pleasure in something.