A decree nisi (non-absolute ruling) is a ruling by a court that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met. Once the condition is met the ruling becomes decree absolute and is binding. Typically, the condition is that no new evidence or further petitions with a bearing on the case are introduced to the court.

This form of ruling has become a rarity in recent times, with one exception—in some jurisdictions it is still a standard stage of divorce proceedings. This allows time for any party who objects to the divorce to come forward with those objections.