Is It Correct to Say “Agreed Upon”?

Every day, we find ourselves constantly entering into agreements with others for all sorts of reasons. So which phrase encapsulates when the terms of these agreements are settled?

Is there a standard phrase that all English speakers agree upon? See what we did there? Let’s get into it!

Is It Correct to Say “Agreed Upon”?

It is grammatically correct to say “agreed upon” when two parties to an agreement have reached a consensus. This phrase means that certain terms or elements of a plan, transaction, or contract have been settled, and no further negotiations are required.

Is It Correct to Say “Agreed Upon”

If you think about it long enough, life seems like nothing more than a series of contracts. You enter into agreements every time you buy things at the store, for example. The seller agrees to provide fresh and safe goods, while you agree to provide a check that won’t bounce.

These are the agreed-upon terms between you and the seller. Or these are the terms that you have implicitly agreed upon whenever you’ve bought something.

So, the phrase “agreed upon” is correct English in a number of contexts. However, it tends to be quite a formal expression and may be used in business or legal contexts most frequently.

 Let’s look at a few examples that illustrate this. These will give some insight on how to use “agreed upon” in a sentence:

  • I will be meeting them at the agreed-upon time and place.
  • These are the terms that the client agreed upon.
  • This price has already been agreed upon, so I’m afraid we can’t lower it.

Although technically correct, this phrase might look a bit odd when used in everyday speech:

  • Becky and I have agreed upon which cinema to meet at.
  • I’m going to visit my granny at the agreed-upon time.

So, since it might be considered quite formal and stuffy, it might be good to check out some alternatives to use. Off you go.

Just kidding! Of course, we’ve collected them here for you, ya silly goose. Read on to find out what to say instead of “agreed upon”.

Other Ways to Say “Agreed Upon”

Other ways to say “agreed upon” are “as agreed”, “settled”, and “decided upon/on”. These phrases can be used to refer to a situation where two or more people have reached a consensus on something. They can therefore be used in the context of a plan or a transaction.

1. As Agreed

“As agreed” makes use of the adjective “agreed”, much like the phrase “agreed upon”. As with “agreed upon”, it can be used when referencing terms of an agreement that have already been settled.

Here are a few examples of how to say “as agreed” in a sentence:

  • I delivered the package to Baker Street, as agreed.
  • As agreed, I made note of any changes to the plan before submitting it.

Here’s an example of how this phrase might be used in an email exchange:

  • Dear Joplin,
  • Here are the documents, converted to PDF, as agreed.
  • Let me know if you need anything else
  • Regards,
  • Rosetta

2. Settled

Once something has been agreed upon, you can say that the terms of that agreement have been “settled”.

Consider the following sentences, as an example:

  • It’s settled: we’ll meet in the center of Gotham City.
  • The terms of our agreement have been settled, and we can proceed with the merger.

As you can see, “settled” can be used in informal, everyday language and in stuffy business language as well. Let’s see this phrase in an email exchange:

  • Dear Mr. Jones,
  • The terms of our agreement with Enigma Inc. have finally been settled.
  • They are willing to proceed with the merger by 2024.
  • Regards,
  • Clayton Dorian.

3. Decided upon/on

“Decided upon” and “agreed upon” are pretty much synonyms, and can often be used interchangeably. “Decided upon” is fairly formal, like “agreed upon”, but can be replaced by the less formal “decided on”.

If you think about it, before you agree to something, you have to make a decision in respect of it. It makes sense, therefore, that once you’ve done this, that thing has been “decided upon”.

However, “decided upon”, like “agreed upon” is also fairly formal. Let’s consider this phrase in a couple of example sentences:

  • These are the issues for Parliament to decide upon.
  • The jury have decided upon his sentence.

A less formal version of this phrase would be “decided on”:

  • We need to decide on a time for dinner next week.
  • This is the color we decided on, but we can always paint over it.

4. Accepted

There are some instances in which “accepted” is another way to say “agreed”. This is particularly the case when referring to an agreement in the passive voice.

Consider these sentences to see what we mean:

  • They have accepted our terms and are happy to move forward.
  • I accepted his proposition yesterday.

You might have noticed that if you replace “accepted” with “agreed upon” in these sentences, they make perfect sense.

However, “accepted” doesn’t fit quite right in every context:

  • Correct: We have agreed upon the venue for our wedding!
  • Incorrect: We have accepted the venue for our wedding!

In this sentence, “accepted” creates the impression that the venue was accepted somewhat reluctantly. Not ideal for such a happy situation!

What Does “Agreed Upon” Mean?

In order to understand what this phrase means, we need to define its parts, namely “agreed” and “upon”.

“Agreed”, an adjective, is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “accepted or approved”. Go figure! That’s precisely why we used “accepted” as a synonym.

“Upon”, a preposition, is defined as “on”. What you can conclude from all this is that to “agree upon” something basically means to agree on it, which we’ll get to shortly.

So, to agree upon something essentially means that two or more people have reached a consensus. They both approve or accept the terms of the agreement between them.

Agreed On vs. Agreed Upon

“Agreed on” and “agreed upon” mean precisely the same thing and can be used interchangeably. However, “agreed upon” may often come across as stiff and formal, whereas “agreed on” can be used in ordinary, everyday speech.

“Agreed upon” would be best suited in formal or business contexts. So, when you’ve struck a deal at your super important job, you can say that the terms of that deal have been “agreed upon”.

  • They’ve agreed upon these stipulations but want to further discuss the non-variation clause on page 28.
  • We’ve delivered several tons of concrete, as agreed upon.

“Agreed on”, on the other hand, can be used comfortably in casual conversation. So, if you’re making plans with friends, you may agree on where to go or who is going to drive.

  • We’ve already agreed on you driving, Kyle, you can’t back out now.
  • Finally, something we can all agree on!