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.

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. Also: hypothetical. 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

Other Word Forms

• conditionality noun
• conditionally adverb
• nonconditional 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

She was sentenced to 40 years in a mental hospital in 2018 and granted conditional release in July.

Read more on BBC

The act's fatal flaw was a conditional immunity clause - later ruled unlawful - which could have been used by ex-soldiers, or former paramilitaries.

Read more on BBC

The post-Mao reforms brought a measure of relief, but the reprieve was always conditional.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The bill aims to repeal the existing Legacy Act, which included a conditional immunity clause, later found unlawful by the Northern Ireland courts.

Read more on BBC

Brandt, a former councillor, was arrested in March last year and given a conditional caution the following month, requiring him not to contact Dame Penny, but he then left two voicemail messages for her.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• limited 
• provisional 
• restrictive 
• tentative