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conditional

[ kuhn-dish-uh-nl ]
/ kənˈdɪʃ ə nl /
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See synonyms for: conditional / conditionally on Thesaurus.com

Definition of conditional

adjective
imposing, containing, subject to, or depending on a condition or conditions; not absolute; made or allowed on certain terms: conditional acceptance.
Grammar. (of a sentence, clause, mood, or word) involving or expressing a condition, as the first clause in the sentenceIf it rains, he won't go.
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.
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
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.
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Origin of conditional

1350–1400; Middle English condicionel<Anglo-French, Middle French <Late Latin condiciōnālis, equivalent to condiciōn- (stem of condiciō) condition + -ālis-al1

OTHER WORDS FROM conditional

con·di·tion·al·i·ty, nouncon·di·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·con·di·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby conditional

condignity, Condillac, condiment, condisciple, condition, conditional, conditional access, conditional convergence, conditionalization, conditional operation, conditional probability
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to conditional

limited, provisional, restrictive, tentative, codicillary, contingent, fortuitous, guarded, iffy, incidental, inconclusive, modified, obscure, provisory, qualified, relative, reliant, restricted, subject to, uncertain

How to use conditional in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conditional

conditional
/ (kənˈdɪʃənəl) /
adjective
depending on other factors; not certain
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 "
  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
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
grammar
  1. a conditional form of a verb
  2. a conditional clause or sentence
logic a conditional proposition

Derived forms of conditional

conditionality, nounconditionally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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