con·tin·gent
kən-ˈtin-jənt 
1
: dependent on or conditioned by something else
Payment is contingent on fulfillment of certain conditions.
a plan contingent on the weather
2
: likely but not certain to happen : possible
3
: not logically necessary
especially
: empirical
4
a
: happening by chance or unforeseen causes
b
: subject to chance or unseen effects : unpredictable
c
: intended for use in circumstances not completely foreseen
contingent funds
5
: not necessitated : determined by free choice
contingently
adverb
1
: a representative group : delegation, detachment
a diplomatic contingent
2
: something contingent (see contingent entry 1) : contingency
Examples of contingent in a Sentence
Adjective
The isolation and co-optation of the capitalist classes in Germany meant that liberty as an ideal had no contingent link with capitalism, as had happened in Western Europe.
—
Orlando Patterson, New Republic, 8 Nov. 1999
He knows that the throngs cheering for him today will be cheering for someone else tomorrow, that enthusiasm is fickle, that real support for someone like him always has something completely contingent about it.
—Andrew Sullivan, New Republic, 8 July 1996
Clearly the President was chastened by the sorrow and resentment of the people to whom he spoke, but his words were somehow tentative and contingent, as if they could be withdrawn on a month's notice.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, July 1992
Every undogmatic historian is aware of the multitude of contingent events that entered into the victory of the Bolshevik revolution.
—Sidney Hook, Revolution, Reform & Social Justice, 1975
If the Sovereigns would grant him, contingent on his success, such rank, titles, and property that he and his issue could hold up their heads with the Spanish nobility, well and good …
—Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1974
the train's scheduled departure is contingent on the prompt fixing of the mechanical fault
Noun
Hollywood, Madison Avenue, the FCC, and a growing contingent in corporate America: It's hard to imagine a more formidable alliance pushing segregated television.
—Tamar Jacoby, New Republic, 24 Jan. 2000
A Maori contingent, unable to face the intensity of the Turkish fire, sought shelter in a nearby gully.
—Martin Gilbert, The First World War, 1994
But just because we banned it [DDT] domestically, under pressure from the bird-watching contingent … it doesn't necessarily follow that the rest of the world was about to jump on the bandwagon.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, April 1993
The group that makes up the largest contingent of voters in this area is the elderly.
A contingent of reporters waited in front of the court for the defendant to appear.
A British contingent was sent to assist the security forces.
Orlando Patterson, New Republic, 8 Nov. 1999
He knows that the throngs cheering for him today will be cheering for someone else tomorrow, that enthusiasm is fickle, that real support for someone like him always has something completely contingent about it.
—Andrew Sullivan, New Republic, 8 July 1996
Clearly the President was chastened by the sorrow and resentment of the people to whom he spoke, but his words were somehow tentative and contingent, as if they could be withdrawn on a month's notice.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, July 1992
Every undogmatic historian is aware of the multitude of contingent events that entered into the victory of the Bolshevik revolution.
—Sidney Hook, Revolution, Reform & Social Justice, 1975
If the Sovereigns would grant him, contingent on his success, such rank, titles, and property that he and his issue could hold up their heads with the Spanish nobility, well and good …
—Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1974
the train's scheduled departure is contingent on the prompt fixing of the mechanical fault
Noun
Hollywood, Madison Avenue, the FCC, and a growing contingent in corporate America: It's hard to imagine a more formidable alliance pushing segregated television.
—Tamar Jacoby, New Republic, 24 Jan. 2000
A Maori contingent, unable to face the intensity of the Turkish fire, sought shelter in a nearby gully.
—Martin Gilbert, The First World War, 1994
But just because we banned it [DDT] domestically, under pressure from the bird-watching contingent … it doesn't necessarily follow that the rest of the world was about to jump on the bandwagon.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, April 1993
The group that makes up the largest contingent of voters in this area is the elderly.
A contingent of reporters waited in front of the court for the defendant to appear.
A British contingent was sent to assist the security forces.
Recent Examples on the Web
Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
The seller never directly receives the proceeds from the sale to the final buyer, and the installment payments are genuinely contingent on the note.
—Andre Pennington, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Of the countries that have contributed $110 million to a U.N. trust fund to support the Kenya mission, none are from Latin America and the Caribbean, and only four countries— Jamaica, The Bahamas, Guatemala and Salvador— have a small contingent on the ground in Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contingent
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Adjective
Trump’s entire economic agenda is contingent on the tax and spending bill’s passage at the same time the bill’s passage could trigger bond market vigilantes to unravel Trump’s entire economic agenda.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
The seller never directly receives the proceeds from the sale to the final buyer, and the installment payments are genuinely contingent on the note.
—Andre Pennington, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Noun
At 99, a Seminal Asian Leader Reflects on a Contentious Legacy
After the explosion, a large contingent of military and police personnel arrived at the site and cordoned off the area.
—Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Of the countries that have contributed $110 million to a U.N. trust fund to support the Kenya mission, none are from Latin America and the Caribbean, and only four countries— Jamaica, The Bahamas, Guatemala and Salvador— have a small contingent on the ground in Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contingent
Cite this Entry
“Contingent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contingent. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
contingent
1 of 2 adjective
con·tin·gent
kən-ˈtin-jənt
: depending on something else
plans contingent on the weather
contingently
adverb
contingent
2 of 2 noun
: a number of persons representing or drawn from an area or group
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English contingent "uncertain," from early French contingent "touching, happening," derived from Latin contingere "to have contact with, affect, happen" — related to contact, contagious
Legal Definition
contingent
adjective
con·tin·gent
kən-ˈtin-jənt
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