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If a home is listed as "contingent" on a real estate site, what does that mean?

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contingent

American  

[kuhn-tin-juhnt] / kənˈtɪn dʒənt /

adjective

1. dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on orupon ).

   Our plans are contingent on the weather.

2. liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible.

   They had to plan for contingent expenses.

3. happening by chance or without known cause; fortuitous; accidental.

   contingent occurrences.

4. Logic. (of a proposition) neither logically necessary nor logically impossible, so that its truth or falsity can be established only by sensory observation.

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noun

• contingents
  plural

1. a quota of troops furnished.

2. any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage.

   the New York contingent at a national convention.

3. the proportion that falls to one as a share to be contributed or furnished.

4. something contingent; contingency.

contingent British  

/ kənˈtɪndʒənt /

adjective

1. dependent on events, conditions, etc, not yet known; conditional

2. logic (of a proposition) true under certain conditions, false under others; not necessary

3. (in systemic grammar) denoting contingency (sense 4)

4. metaphysics (of some being) existing only as a matter of fact; not necessarily existing

5. happening by chance or without known cause; accidental

6. that may or may not happen; uncertain

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noun

1. a part of a military force, parade, etc

2. a representative group distinguished by common origin, interests, etc, that is part of a larger group or gathering

3. a possible or chance occurrence

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontingent
  adjective
• uncontingent
  adjective
• contingently
  adverb
• noncontingently
  adverb
• uncontingently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contingents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of contingent

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin contingent-, stem of contingēns “touching together,” present participle of contingere “to touch together, come into contact with,” equivalent to con- con- + -tingere, variant stem of tangere “to touch”

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Explanation

The adjective contingent can be used to describe something that can occur only when something else happens first. Making money is contingent on finding a good-paying job. When an event or situation is contingent, it means that it depends on some other event or fact. For example, sometimes buying a new house has to be contingent upon someone else buying your old house first. That way you don't end up owning two houses! As a noun, contingent means either "a group of soldiers that joins a larger force," like a contingent of British troops sent to assist American soldiers, or "a group of people with something in common," like the contingent of folks dressed as Batman at Comic-Con.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contingent contingents

Under the terms of the deal, AT&T will receive $2 billion in cash at closing, subject to adjustments, plus additional contractual and contingent benefits, AT&T said Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The almost 400 interceptors that remain are augmented by a Greek army contingent with a Patriot missile battery and roughly 100 soldiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Victor Radley and AJ Brimson complete the Australia-born contingent in the squad.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I did not advise Navatek officials, nor would I advise any client, that support from Sen. Collins was contingent on campaign donations,” Mandigo wrote.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

In the press car, a hush had gradually fallen over the Washington contingent of writers and coaches as they had taken in just how far behind the Husky Clipper was.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

In the poem “Usefulness,” which was originally published in the Yale Review, you speak of how Black Cubans exist at the nexus of two different political agendas: the pro- and anti-Revolution contingents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Estonia this month hosted an annual exercise, dubbed Spring Storm, with about 12,000 troops from across NATO, including contingents from the U.K. and France.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

The contrast with the negotiations a decade ago couldn't be starker – the American and Iranian delegations included strong contingents of experienced diplomats and leading physicists.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Tehran has stationed contingents of the Revolutionary Guards' naval forces there, which in 2025 deployed new missile systems capable of targeting nearby "enemy bases, ships and equipment", Iranian media reported at the time.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

The hundreds of Fruit of Islam men represented contingents which had arrived early that morning, from their Temples in the nearest cities.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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Related Words

• batch
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