conditional

[ kuhn-dish-uh-nl ]

adjective

1. imposing, containing, subject to, or depending on a condition or conditions; not absolute; made or allowed on certain terms:

   conditional acceptance.

   Synonyms: relative, contingent, dependent

2. Grammar. (of a sentence, clause, mood, or word) involving or expressing a condition, as the first clause in the sentence If it rains, he won't go.
3. Logic.
   1. (of a proposition) asserting that the existence or occurrence of one thing or event depends on the existence or occurrence of another thing or event; hypothetical.
   2. (of a syllogism) containing at least one conditional proposition as a premise.
4. Mathematics. (of an inequality) true for only certain values of the variable, as x + 3 > 0 is only true for real numbers greater than −3. Compare absolute ( def 12 ).

noun

1. Grammar.
   1. (in some languages) a mood, tense, or other category used in expressing conditions, often corresponding to an English verb phrase beginning with would, as Spanish comería “he would eat.”
   2. a sentence, clause, or word expressing a condition.

conditional

/ kənˈdɪʃənəl /

adjective

1. depending on other factors; not certain
2. grammar (of a clause, conjunction, form of a verb, or whole sentence) expressing a condition on which something else is contingent: " If he comes " is a conditional clause in the sentence " If he comes I shall go "
3. 1. (of an equation or inequality) true for only certain values of the variable: x ² –1 = x + 1 is a conditional equation, only true for x = 2 or –1
   2. (of an infinite series) divergent when the absolute values of the terms are considered
4. Alsohypothetical logic (of a proposition) consisting of two component propositions associated by the words if…then so that the proposition is false only when the antecedent is true and the consequent false. Usually written: p → q or p ⊃ q, where p is the antecedent, q the consequent, and → or ⊃ symbolizes implies

noun

1. grammar
   1. a conditional form of a verb
   2. a conditional clause or sentence
2. logic a conditional proposition

Derived Forms

• conˌditionˈality, noun
• conˈditionally, adverb

Other Words From

• con·dition·ali·ty noun
• con·dition·al·ly adverb
• noncon·dition·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conditional¹

1350–1400; Middle English condicionel < Anglo-French, Middle French < Late Latin condiciōnālis, equivalent to condiciōn- (stem of condiciō ) condition + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

One of the Four was released in 2005, and the three others were offered conditional pardons by then-Gov.

From The Daily Beast

It was the sixth time an apartheid leader had offered Mandela a conditional release from jail.

From The Daily Beast

The government and the court would then convert the pretrial conditions as conditional release.

From The Daily Beast

With permission to be in Singapore conditional upon their employer, workers are discouraged from rocking the boat.

From The Daily Beast

His committment to "counting all the votes" was conditional on Bush withdrawing all of his lawsuits.

From The Daily Beast

A contract of sale may be conditional, for example, that the property shall not be transferred until the price is paid.

From Project Gutenberg

He had a modus operandi of making the conditional mood mean the imperative.

From Project Gutenberg

As far as I can make out the original, it is the negative conditional as I have given it in the text.

From Project Gutenberg

Something about the conditional setup seemed to give me an idea.

From Project Gutenberg

"I would ask that question," repeated Tanner, still in the conditional mood, but nodding confidentially all round.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• limited
• provisional
• restrictive
• tentative