contingent
Americanadjective
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dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on orupon ).
Our plans are contingent on the weather.
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liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible.
They had to plan for contingent expenses.
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happening by chance or without known cause; fortuitous; accidental.
contingent occurrences.
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Logic. (of a proposition) neither logically necessary nor logically impossible, so that its truth or falsity can be established only by sensory observation.
noun
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a quota of troops furnished.
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any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage.
the New York contingent at a national convention.
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the proportion that falls to one as a share to be contributed or furnished.
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something contingent; contingency.
adjective
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dependent on events, conditions, etc, not yet known; conditional
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logic (of a proposition) true under certain conditions, false under others; not necessary
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(in systemic grammar) denoting contingency (sense 4)
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metaphysics (of some being) existing only as a matter of fact; not necessarily existing
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happening by chance or without known cause; accidental
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that may or may not happen; uncertain
noun
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a part of a military force, parade, etc
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a representative group distinguished by common origin, interests, etc, that is part of a larger group or gathering
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a possible or chance occurrence
Other Word Forms
- contingently adverb
- noncontingent adjective
- noncontingently adverb
- uncontingent adjective
- uncontingently adverb
Etymology
Origin of contingent
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin contingent-, stem of contingēns “touching together,” present participle of contingere “to touch together, come into contact with,” equivalent to con- con- + -tingere, variant stem of tangere “to touch”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They will need the experience of their Wallabies contingent to get past the Highlanders, who defeated defending champions Canterbury Crusaders in round one before a narrow 26-23 loss to the Waikato Chiefs last week.
From Barron's
In that case, Warsh might seem to have power, but that power will be contingent on pleasing his boss.
From Barron's
The contingent then visited the president at the White House ahead of his speech.
From Los Angeles Times
The absence of the Italian hosts might quieten things down a little, but day-upon-day the British contingent seems to have swelled in this high-end resort town.
From BBC
Her stories often explore topics such as workforce development and skills, contingent work, compensation, the bonds between employers and workers, and the intersection between economic trends and the on-the-ground practices of employers.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
