contingency

American  

[kuhn-tin-juhn-see] / kənˈtɪn dʒən si /

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 British  

/ 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

---

Etymology

Origin of contingency

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

Example Sentences

But its years of contingency planning have helped mitigate the impact, putting it in a better situation than some of its neighbors.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

If the blockade continues, it added, there are three contingency plans: utilising non-Middle Eastern gas sources, discussing mutual assistance with similar buyers such as Japan and South Korea and purchasing "existing fuel".

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said contingency planning was under way for "every eventuality", noting the full impact of the war on the UK economy was uncertain.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

It has developed multiple contingency plans for different scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

“Well, see, in the event—however unlikely—that your vaccine does not have the desired effect, and Othello there turns, I was wondering what your contingency plan is. Have you taken the vaccine yourself?”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• emergency
• eventuality
• exigency
• probability