contingency

American  

[kuhn-tin-juhn-see] / kənˈtɪn dʒən si /

noun

plural

contingencies

1. dependence on chance or on the fulfillment of a condition; uncertainty; fortuitousness.

   Nothing was left to contingency.

2. a contingent event; a chance, accident, or possibility conditional on something uncertain.

   He was prepared for every contingency.

   Synonyms:

   predicament, likelihood, emergency

3. something incidental to a thing.

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contingency British  

/ kənˈtɪndʒənsɪ /

noun

1. 1. a possible but not very likely future event or condition; eventuality

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency plan

2. something dependent on a possible future event

3. a fact, event, etc, incidental to or dependent on something else

4. 1. modification of the meaning of a main clause by use of a bound clause introduced by a binder such as if, when, though, or since Compare adding

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency clause

5. logic

   1. the state of being contingent

   2. a contingent statement

6. dependence on chance; uncertainty

7. statistics

   1. the degree of association between theoretical and observed common frequencies of two graded or classified variables. It is measured by the chi-square test

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency table

      the contingency coefficient

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Etymology

Origin of contingency

First recorded in 1555–65; conting(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

If the blockade continues, it added, there are three contingency plans: utilising non-Middle Eastern gas sources, discussing mutual assistance with similar buyers such as Japan and South Korea and purchasing "existing fuel".

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

In the near-term, executives at car parts companies told the Financial Times that car makers were trying to build up contingency inventories amid continued fighting in the Middle East.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

It has developed multiple contingency plans for different scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

"Companies develop preparedness for different types of disruption scenarios, using collaborative contingency plans and exercises."

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

“We’ve got a contingency plan for exactly this scenario!”

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• emergency
• eventuality
• exigency
• probability