contingent
contingent Lexical Profile
contingent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Occurring or existing only if certain other circumstances are the case; dependent on or conditioned by something else.
"Final approval of the scholarship is contingent upon the student maintaining a high grade point average."
Subject to chance; occurring unpredictably or without certainty.
"The outdoor festival organizers prepared backup tents to account for contingent weather conditions."
In logic and philosophy, true only by virtue of the way things happen to be and not by logical necessity.
"Philosophers distinguish between necessary truths of mathematics and contingent facts about the physical world."
• noun
A group of people sharing a common feature, origin, or purpose, forming part of a larger gathering or organization.
"A large contingent of international researchers attended the annual climate summit in Geneva."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used in the sense of 'dependent on', the adjective 'contingent' is almost always used predicatively and followed by the preposition 'on' or 'upon' (e.g., 'The offer is contingent on a home inspection').
• Rhymes for contingent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French or directly from Latin contingentem, the present participle of contingere ('to touch, reach, or befall'), formed from com- ('together') and tangere ('to touch').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.