- The definition of contingent is something that depends on something else happening, or something that is possible or by chance.
An example of contingent is the sale of one home going through after the buyer's house is sold; a contingent sale.
- A contingent is defined as a condition that needs to be met in order for something else to happen.
An example of a contingent is a clear termite inspection needed in order for a home sale to close escrow.
contingent definition by Webster's New World
adjective
- Obsolete touching; tangential
- that may or may not happen; possible
- happening by chance; accidental; fortuitous
- unpredictable because dependent on chance
- dependent (on or upon something uncertain); conditional
- Logic true only under certain conditions or in certain contexts; not always or necessarily true
- Philos. not subject to determinism; free
Origin: Classical Latin contingens, present participle of contingere, to touch: see contact
noun
- Now Rare an accidental or chance happening
- a share or quota, as of troops, laborers, delegates, etc.
- a group forming part of a larger group
Related Forms:
- contingently adverb
contingent definition by American Heritage Dictionary
adjective
- Liable to occur but not with certainty; possible: “All salaries are reckoned on contingent as well as on actual services” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
- Dependent on conditions or occurrences not yet established; conditional: arms sales contingent on the approval of Congress. See Synonyms at dependent.
- Happening by chance or accident; fortuitous. See Synonyms at accidental.
- Logic True only under certain conditions; not necessarily or universally true: a contingent proposition.
- An event or condition that is likely but not inevitable.
- A share or quota, as of troops, contributed to a general effort.
- A representative group forming part of an assemblage.
Origin: Middle English, from Latin contingēns, contingent-, present participle of contingere, to touch; see contact.
Related Forms:
- con·tinˈgent·ly adverb
contingent - Legal Definition
adj
- Possible, but not certain to happen.
- Dependent upon a future event or circumstance that is not certain to happen. See also vested.
