conditional

American  

[kuhn-dish-uh-nl] / kənˈdɪʃ ə 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.

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noun

conditionals plural

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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. grammar

   1. a conditional form of a verb

   2. a conditional clause or sentence

2. logic a conditional proposition

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• conditionality
  noun
• nonconditional
  adjective
• conditionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conditionals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conditional

1350–1400; Middle English condicionel < Anglo-French, Middle French < Late Latin condiciōnālis, equivalent to condiciōn- (stem of condiciō ) condition + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Something conditional is dependent on other factors. You might receive a conditional offer of acceptance from a college, depending on your high school graduation and your maintaining passing grades. For a clue to the meaning of conditional, look at an opposing term: unconditional surrender, which means someone surrenders and doesn't ask for anything in return. In a conditional surrender, someone will give up only if certain things happen. A conditional agreement is dependent on other factors: a company could make a conditional hire, meaning they'll hire you only if you finish your degree and take a blood test. When you see the word conditional, think "It depends."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conditional conditionals

"Assuming the Fed leaves rates unchanged as expected, traders will be on the lookout for a potentially stronger description of inflation risks and/or possible wording to signal conditional tightening," said Matt Weller at City Index.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

A federal judge in California ordered the companies to temporarily pause the deal in a ruling on Monday, just two days before the European Union gave the merger a conditional green light.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Demand for the Birkin is normally so strong that the brand’s sales assistants are able to make access to the bags conditional on buying other stuff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

It has reengaged with others, such as the World Bank and the G20, but on a conditional basis: They are expected to do as they are told.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

To find out why, let’s look at the conditional probability of your having cancer, given that you’ve tested positive.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

"They also can repair damage to their DNA caused by radiation and other extreme conditionals or chemicals."

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024

In the courtroom his lawyer read out a carefully written, complicated text, full of caveats, conditionals and the passive voice.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2023

But there are other ways to express conditionals, such as “You can have pudding only if you eat your meat” or “All dogs are mammals.”

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

“What Slavic 101 couldn’t name didn’t exist,” Batuman writes; Nina’s reality remains untroubled by conditionals and subjunctives.

From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2017

With these conditionals, anything goes: you can use pretty much any tense in the if and then clauses, depending only on when the relevant events take place or are discovered.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• limited
• provisional
• restrictive
• tentative