conditional

adjective

con·di·tion·al | \ kən-ˈdish-nəl ,

-ˈdi-shə-nᵊl \

Definition of conditional

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : subject to, implying, or dependent upon a condition a conditional promise

2 : expressing, containing, or implying a supposition the conditional clause if he speaks

3a : true only for certain values of the variables or symbols involved conditional equations

b : stating the case when one or more random variables are fixed or one or more events are known conditional frequency distribution

4a : conditioned sense 2 conditional reflex conditional response

b : established by conditioning as the stimulus eliciting a conditional response

conditional

noun

Definition of conditional (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a conditional word, clause, verb form, or morpheme

2 : implication sense 2b

Other Words from conditional Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about conditional

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Other words from conditional

Adjective

conditionality \kən-ˌdi-shə-ˈna-lə-tē

\ noun

conditionally \kən-ˈdish-nə-lē,

-ˈdi-shə-nə-lē \ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for conditional

Synonyms: Adjective

contingent (on or upon), dependent, subject (to), tentative

Antonyms: Adjective

independent, unconditional

Examples of conditional in a Sentence

Adjective

“If she speaks, you must listen” is a conditional sentence. The sentence contains the conditional clause “if she speaks.”

Noun

The clause “if she speaks” is a conditional. The conditional is often marked by the word “if.”

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

But the Fed issued conditional approvals over concerns at those firms. — Deon Roberts, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte's big banks plan to boost their dividends, buy back more stock," 28 June 2018 The agribusiness merger won conditional U.S. antitrust approval in May after the companies agreed to sell off $9 billion in assets to preserve competition. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Monsanto shedding name: Bayer acquisition leads to change for environmental lightning rod," 4 June 2018 Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission recommended conditional approval. — Sheila Vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Plans call for 264 apartments in place of the Skytop Pavilion in Anderson Township," 11 May 2018 The Shorewood Plan Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the conditional use permit on July 24. — Jeff Rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Sendik's building in Shorewood could become medical clinic," 13 July 2018 Large breweries that produce more than 60,000 barrels a year must still obtain a conditional-use permit and are only allowed in industrial zones. — David Hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "National City looks to attract breweries south of the border," 28 June 2018 Because the concept is untested, several plan commissioners suggested that youth lounges should be made a conditional use that requires Plan Commission review of each application. — Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Highland Park sees proposed 'teen hangout' business as good fit for downtown," 20 June 2018 Some of that strong profit growth is conditional on strong trade. — Tom Hudson, miamiherald, "Earnings energy taxed by tariffs," 5 July 2018 More recently, he was arrested and pled guilty in May 2016 to misdemeanor resisting an officer and was given 12 months conditional discharge, according to court records. — Clifford Ward, chicagotribune.com, "Prosecutors say fight over gun led to murder at suburban recording studio," 3 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

All of those conditionals, again, stem from the fact that these materials don't yet exist, at least not in quantity, and even 2030 might not be a long enough timeline to find and mass-produce them. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "Lego Builds a Sustainable Future, One Brick at a Time," 11 Mar. 2018 Batuman writes; Nina’s reality remains untroubled by conditionals and subjunctives. — Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, "Elif Batuman sets out to write a novel as chaotic, random, and intoxicating as real life.," 20 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conditional.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.