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If a home is listed as "contingent" on a real estate site, what does that mean?

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contingent

American  

[kuhn-tin-juhnt] / kənˈtɪn dʒənt /

adjective

1. dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on orupon ).

   Our plans are contingent on the weather.

2. liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible.

   They had to plan for contingent expenses.

3. happening by chance or without known cause; fortuitous; accidental.

   contingent occurrences.

4. Logic. (of a proposition) neither logically necessary nor logically impossible, so that its truth or falsity can be established only by sensory observation.

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noun

• contingents
  plural

1. a quota of troops furnished.

2. any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage.

   the New York contingent at a national convention.

3. the proportion that falls to one as a share to be contributed or furnished.

4. something contingent; contingency.

contingent British  

/ kənˈtɪndʒənt /

adjective

1. dependent on events, conditions, etc, not yet known; conditional

2. logic (of a proposition) true under certain conditions, false under others; not necessary

3. (in systemic grammar) denoting contingency (sense 4)

4. metaphysics (of some being) existing only as a matter of fact; not necessarily existing

5. happening by chance or without known cause; accidental

6. that may or may not happen; uncertain

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noun

1. a part of a military force, parade, etc

2. a representative group distinguished by common origin, interests, etc, that is part of a larger group or gathering

3. a possible or chance occurrence

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontingent
  adjective
• uncontingent
  adjective
• contingently
  adverb
• noncontingently
  adverb
• uncontingently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contingents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of contingent

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin contingent-, stem of contingēns “touching together,” present participle of contingere “to touch together, come into contact with,” equivalent to con- con- + -tingere, variant stem of tangere “to touch”

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Explanation

The adjective contingent can be used to describe something that can occur only when something else happens first. Making money is contingent on finding a good-paying job. When an event or situation is contingent, it means that it depends on some other event or fact. For example, sometimes buying a new house has to be contingent upon someone else buying your old house first. That way you don't end up owning two houses! As a noun, contingent means either "a group of soldiers that joins a larger force," like a contingent of British troops sent to assist American soldiers, or "a group of people with something in common," like the contingent of folks dressed as Batman at Comic-Con.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contingent contingents

Ted Mortonson, a managing director at Baird, told MarketWatch that Nvidia’s billions of dollars of financing deals for the AI ecosystem will likely come under scrutiny, given those investments will be considered contingent liabilities.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

The sale is contingent securing a construction loan to complete the project and Petty said the developers are negotiating financing terms with domestic institutional and private equity lenders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

The DUP contingent included its executive ministers as well as party leader Gavin Robinson and deputy leader Michelle McIlveen.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Over 2,000 troops have flown in from El Salvador to Haiti in little over a week, effectively doubling the contingent of foreign soldiers operating in the Caribbean island nation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

There was nothing arbitrary or contingent about these changes; they were as inevitable as the discovery of America once Columbus had set sail.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

In the poem “Usefulness,” which was originally published in the Yale Review, you speak of how Black Cubans exist at the nexus of two different political agendas: the pro- and anti-Revolution contingents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Estonia this month hosted an annual exercise, dubbed Spring Storm, with about 12,000 troops from across NATO, including contingents from the U.K. and France.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Tehran has stationed contingents of the Revolutionary Guards' naval forces there, which in 2025 deployed new missile systems capable of targeting nearby "enemy bases, ships and equipment", Iranian media reported at the time.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

"It seems that many Burundian troops are withdrawing, but it's not clear if all contingents will retreat," he added.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

There were opportunities to travel to foreign countries with contingents of ‘minority group scholars.’

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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Related Words

• batch
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