condition

[ kuhn-dish-uhn ]

noun

1. a particular mode of being of a person or thing; existing state; situation with respect to circumstances.
2. state of health:

   He was reported to be in critical condition.

3. fit or requisite state:

   to be out of condition;

   to be in no condition to run.

4. social position:

   in a lowly condition.

5. a restricting, limiting, or modifying circumstance:

   It can happen only under certain conditions.

6. a circumstance indispensable to some result; prerequisite; that on which something else is contingent:

   conditions of acceptance.

7. Usually conditions. existing circumstances:

   poor living conditions.

8. something demanded as an essential part of an agreement; provision; stipulation:

   He accepted on one condition.

   Synonyms: proviso, requirement

9. Law.
   1. a stipulation in an agreement or instrument transferring property that provides for a change consequent on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a stated event.
   2. the event upon which this stipulation depends.
10. Informal. an abnormal or diseased state of part of the body:

    heart condition;

    skin condition.

11. U.S. Education.
    1. a requirement imposed on a college student who fails to reach the prescribed standard in a course at the end of the regular period of instruction, permitting credit to be established by later performance.
    2. the course or subject to which the requirement is attached.
12. Grammar. protasis ( def 1 ).
13. Logic. the antecedent of a conditional proposition.

verb (used with object)

1. to put in a fit or proper state.
2. to accustom or inure:

   to condition oneself to the cold.

3. to air-condition.
4. to form or be a condition of; determine, limit, or restrict as a condition.
5. to subject to particular conditions or circumstances:

   Her studies conditioned her for her job.

6. U.S. Education. to impose a condition on (a student).
7. to test (a commodity) to ascertain its condition.
8. to make (something) a condition; stipulate.
9. Psychology. to establish a conditioned response in (a subject).
10. Textiles.
    1. to test (fibers or fabrics) for the presence of moisture or other foreign matter.
    2. to replace moisture lost from (fibers or fabrics) in manipulation or manufacture.

verb (used without object)

1. to make conditions.

condition

/ kənˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a particular state of being or existence; situation with respect to circumstances

   the human condition

2. something that limits or restricts something else; a qualification

   you may enter only under certain conditions

3. plural external or existing circumstances

   conditions were right for a takeover

4. state of health or physical fitness, esp good health (esp in the phrases in condition, out of condition )
5. an ailment or physical disability

   a heart condition

6. something indispensable to the existence of something else

   your happiness is a condition of mine

7. something required as part of an agreement or pact; terms

   the conditions of the lease are set out

8. law
   1. a declaration or provision in a will, contract, etc, that makes some right or liability contingent upon the happening of some event
   2. the event itself
9. logic a statement whose truth is either required for the truth of a given statement (a necessary condition ) or sufficient to guarantee the truth of the given statement (a sufficient condition ) See sufficient necessary
10. maths logic a presupposition, esp a restriction on the domain of quantification, indispensable to the proof of a theorem and stated as part of it
11. statistics short for experimental condition
12. rank, status, or position in life
13. on condition that or upon condition that
    conjunction provided that

verb

1. psychol
   1. to alter the response of (a person or animal) to a particular stimulus or situation
   2. to establish a conditioned response in (a person or animal)
2. to put into a fit condition or state
3. to improve the condition of (one's hair) by use of special cosmetics
4. to accustom or inure
5. to subject to a condition
6. archaic.
   intr to make conditions

Other Words From

• con·di·tion·a·ble adjective
• un·con·di·tion verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of condition¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English condicioun, from Old French, from Latin condiciōn-, stem of condiciō “agreement,” equivalent to con- con- + dic-, stem of dīcere “to say” + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of condition¹

C14: from Latin conditiō, from condīcere to discuss, agree together, from con- together + dīcere to say

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on / upon condition that, with the promise or provision that; provided that; if:

   She accepted the position on condition that there would be opportunity for advancement.

More idioms and phrases containing condition

see in condition ; mint condition ; on condition that ; out of condition .

Synonym Study

See state.

Example Sentences

“Planet Earth is in critical condition,” said leading climate scientist Johan Rockström, another signatory.

From BBC

They and the physician plaintiffs seek to establish that Idaho’s law allows an abortion whenever a patient has a physical medical condition or complication that makes it unsafe to continue a pregnancy, has a condition exacerbated by pregnancy that can’t otherwise be easily treated, or is told about a fetal condition that is likely to be fatal after birth.

From Slate

Adkins builds on a line of cases involving women like Kate Cox, a Texas woman who traveled out of state to seek an abortion after receiving a diagnosis of trisomy 18, a fetal condition that is usually fatal; and Amanda Zurawski, also from Texas, who suffered the preterm rupture of membranes, a condition that led to a severe infection that almost killed her.

From Slate

Kayla Smith, another plaintiff, learned at a 19-week scan that her child had an inoperable and likely fatal heart condition.

From Slate

Mr Findlay said to Mrs Macdonald that her husband thought his back condition had been made worse by the osteopath.

From BBC

Related Words

• accustom
• brainwash
• educate