Mr Cameron has instead argued for an "irreversible lock" and "legally binding" guarantees that EU law will be changed at some point in the future, says the BBC's Nick Robinson. No 10 said the PM remained committed to "proper, full on treaty change".
Eurosceptic Tory MP John Redwood said the EU could not be trusted.
"We should never trust what the EU says. They change their mind more often than I change my shirts, which is very often," Mr Redwood said of the guarantees Mr Cameron is seeking.
But Mr Redwood said he was "less exercised" about the legal structures used by the government to achieve reform. Mr Cameron's commitment to hold a referendum by the end of 2017 meant it was always a possibility that any treaty changes would be enacted at a later date.
'Accepting the inevitable'
As recently as January, Mr Cameron said he would be demanding "proper, full-on treaty change" in his negotiations with the EU. Downing Street insisted the prime minister remained committed to that position and would not agree to any deal which was not clear about that.
A No 10 spokesman said the British people would be able to judge this for themselves when they vote in the upcoming in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
Eurosceptics and those who want to leave the EU altogether have always been suspicious that agreements between political leaders can be later undermined in the courts.
They believe that legal or treaty changes are necessary to deliver the prime minister's negotiating objectives - in particular to free Britain from the EU's commitment to build an "ever closer union" of nation states and to ensure that benefits such as tax credits be withheld from migrants who have been in the country for less than four years.
David Cameron's critics may fear that the formula he is now using is a watering down of that commitment and will demand to know who would interpret any legally binding agreement reached between the UK and the rest of the EU.
Downing Street insists, however, that it is simply a reflection of the fact that any treaty change will require a time-consuming ratification process in 28 different countries involving parliamentary votes as well as referendums in France, Ireland and Denmark.
However, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the PM was "accepting the inevitable" that there would not be EU treaty change before the UK vote, because the "big figures" in the EU had said "no".
Speaking to Sky News he said there would "not be a fundamental change of the UK's relationship with the European Union". Former Conservative Home Office minister Damian Green, a pro-European MP, said it was "perfectly sensible for the prime minister to leave his options open" to get the results he wanted.
"It's obvious that a treaty change would require referendums in other countries so it would be a very long, drawn out process.
You can see why other countries won't welcome that," he added. 'Non-negotiable' For Labour, shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn said Mr Cameron was "signalling retreat while pretending that all he ever wanted was a post-dated cheque".
"The prime minister has made a mess of this. He should have known what the position of other countries would be, but because he did not prepare the ground, for the second time in a few months he has been forced to admit that he can't get what he wants," he said.
The PM is attending a European Council summit in Brussels, where he will formally set out his renegotiation aims to his EU counterparts. He has achieved his objective of speaking to all 27 EU leaders about his plans ahead of the summit, holding the final talks with his European counterparts on Thursday morning.
Mr Cameron also discussed EU reform with Council President Donald Tusk, who has said the substance of the UK's proposals will be considered "but only in a way which will be safe for all Europe". Mr Tusk warned that the fundamental values of the 28-member bloc "are not for sale and so are non-negotiable".
'Compromises'
The PM's official spokeswoman said Mr Cameron had been clear he supported the fundamental values of the EU and the principle of free movement. But she said "ever closer union" was not a principle Britain was attached to.
The gathering in Brussels will be the first time his objectives have been collectively discussed by EU leaders. Germany's Europe Minister, Michael Roth, said Britain must "put forward concrete proposals" for its renegotiation.
He said Germany was willing to discuss Britain's proposals "constructively" but "compromises" would be required. Business for New Europe said Mr Cameron "does not need to change the EU treaties to get what he wants in Europe".
Lucy Thomas, campaign director of the pro-European business group, said "substance is more important than what piece of paper it's written on". "Whether it is on competitiveness, migrant benefits, or protecting countries that do not use the euro, these can all be achieved without a time-consuming changes to the treaties," she added.
bbc.com
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