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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of contingency

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

Explanation

If you plan to walk home if the weather is nice, but bring subway fare just in case, then taking the subway is your contingency plan. A contingency is an event you can't be sure will happen or not. The noun contingency describes something that might or might not happen. We use it to describe an event or situation that is a possible outcome but one that's impossible to predict with certainty. A company might have a contingency plan for what to do if something goes wrong with their primary strategy, also known as "plan B." They might even have plans C, D, and E, to prepare for multiple contingencies.

Example Sentences

Under Plan B, the four astronauts are using personal reusable containers called "collapsible contingency urine disposal devices."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

“We don’t panic. We have contingency plans,” Lagos said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

“When Japan says a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency, it’s not that Japan will actually go into the Taiwan Strait and help Taiwan,” said Matsuda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

In a statement to lawmakers, Reeves said the government is planning for every contingency, but would not repeat the mistakes of 2022 and 2023, when the support provided to households was “untargeted and unfunded.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Did our family talk about the future or make contingency plans in case the situation got worse?

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

• emergency
• eventuality
• exigency
• probability