contingency

[kuhn-tin-juhn-see]

noun

plural

contingencies 

1. dependence on chance or on the fulfillment of a condition; uncertainty; fortuitousness.

   Nothing was left to contingency.

2. a contingent event; a chance, accident, or possibility conditional on something uncertain.

   He was prepared for every contingency.

   Synonyms: predicament, likelihood, emergency

3. something incidental to a thing.

contingency

/ kənˈtɪndʒənsɪ /

noun

1. 1. a possible but not very likely future event or condition; eventuality

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency plan

2. something dependent on a possible future event

3. a fact, event, etc, incidental to or dependent on something else

4. 1. modification of the meaning of a main clause by use of a bound clause introduced by a binder such as if, when, though, or since Compare adding

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency clause

5. logic

   1. the state of being contingent

   2. a contingent statement

6. dependence on chance; uncertainty

7. statistics

   1. the degree of association between theoretical and observed common frequencies of two graded or classified variables. It is measured by the chi-square test

   2. ( as modifier )

      a contingency table

      the contingency coefficient

Word History and Origins

Origin of contingency¹

First recorded in 1555–65; conting(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

Forest Service will shut down activities on more than 193 million acres of land across 46 states, including at least 154 national forests, according to the agency’s most recent contingency plan, published in September.

From Los Angeles Times

Nearly 90% of EPA staff will be furloughed; only 1,732 of 15,166 employees will report to work, according to the agency’s most recent shutdown contingency plan, issued in September.

From Los Angeles Times

Up until 16 March 2020, focus had been on keeping schools open, so there were no contingency plans in place, according to evidence given by the former education secretary Gavin Williamson.

From BBC

Now Ackerman said that the hope is for it to open by the 2026 World Cup in June, but officials are working on contingency plans that would rely on shuttles if there’s further delay.

From Los Angeles Times

Matt Davies, from Stagecoach, said the company would continue to work towards a resolution and was preparing contingency plans if the drivers go ahead with "unnecessary strike action".

From BBC

Related Words

• emergency 
• eventuality 
• exigency 
• probability