conditional
[ kuhn-dish-uh-nl ]
/ kənˈdɪʃ ə nl /
Save This Word!
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 sentence If it rains, he won't go.
Logic.
- (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.
- (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.
- (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.”
- a sentence, clause, or word expressing a condition.
SYNONYMS FOR conditional
QUIZZES
DO A DOUBLE TAKE ON THIS QUIZ ON CONTRONYMS
Look both ways before you take this quiz on contronyms, or words that can have opposite meanings.
Question 1 of 7
Choose the sentence that uses "rent" correctly.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of conditional
OTHER WORDS FROM conditional
con·di·tion·al·i·ty, nouncon·di·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·con·di·tion·al, adjectiveWords nearby conditional
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for conditional
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 "
- (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
- (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
- a conditional form of a verb
- a conditional clause or sentence
logic a conditional proposition
Derived forms of conditional
conditionality, nounconditionally, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012