Meanings
nounblue pencil doctrine (plural blue pencil doctrines)
plural blue pencil doctrines
- lawA legal concept where a court finds that portions of a contract are unenforceable, but other portions of the contract are enforceable.
Origin
From the act of editing written copy with a blue pencil.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
blue pencil doctrine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20pencil%20doctrine
MLA
“blue pencil doctrine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20pencil%20doctrine. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blue pencil doctrine,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20pencil%20doctrine.
Source: blue pencil doctrine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.