as in possibility
something that might happen
the collapse of that nation's economy was one contingence that the architects of the war hadn't planned on
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Recent Examples of contingence
The team had a strong veteran contingence, but none of those veterans had anyone to lead them.
—
Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 24 Sep. 2017
Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 24 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contingence
Noun
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Global markets are still assessing prospects for peace talks and the possibility of escalation.—
Hugh Leask,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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Anyone who thinks the only alternative to being a victim is to be a victimizer is missing some important possibilities.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Subscribe today Hello, this is Hui Jie writing to you from Singapore, while Leonie is away preparing for CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE event, featuring names like former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Capital Group CEO Mike Gitlin.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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The plots of these shows usually center on a murder, which occurs not so much to end a human life as to inconvenience our star, who must postpone a brunch or a media event to conceal an inconvenient corpse.—
Libby Gelman-Waxner,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The items onboard the Cygnus spacecraft included hardware for the station’s Cold Atom Laboratory for quantum technology research and a new contingency cooling system for the station’s avionics systems.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2026
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Very often, the home seller and listing agent will ask for a very short timeline, removing the financing contingency (the full loan approval), shaving 10 days from the process with a closing in 21 days.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In any case, United have continued to track Baleba since last summer.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Mary is forced to say goodbye to her kids as they’re taken away by the authorities, seconds before the TV news reveals a new suspect in Nancy’s murder case.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contingence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contingence. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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