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contingent upon

contingent upon

6 6.4
Dependent on a condition or on something happening
  • adjective
  • /kənˈtɪnʤənt əˈpɒn/
translation icon : dependiente de
  • The project's approval is contingent upon meeting specific safety standards.
  • contingent upon appropriate behavior
  • contingent upon government approval
  • contingent upon success

I would make funding contingent upon disclosure rules.

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Examples

  • Many patients receive financial benefits and payments that may be contingent upon them remaining unwell.

    Blog text (1)
  • Your release was contingent upon your ability to provide credible information.

  • It's official that that the deal which is contingent upon those conditions is in place.

  • The number of devices available should be contingent upon the number needed to cover high volume times of day.

    Academic text (2015)
  • In Melanesia, aid to remote communities should not be contingent upon their claims to historical isolation.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Foreign investments to develop Libya's natural resources are contingent upon political stability and national security.

    Blog text (20)
  • Our success, our very survival... is contingent upon our functioning together as one cohesive unit.

  • They're possible, but they're contingent upon what other people do or how things turn out.

  • Continuation on the team can be contingent upon medical, dietary, and psychological evaluations by professionals.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Turkey has made Syria's receipt of Euphrates water contingent upon its behavior vis-à-vis the Kurds.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

dependent on
vscontingent upon
176 3.2

Needing something else to happen or be true

focuses on dependence tied to possible or future conditions rather than actual events
conditional
vscontingent upon
33 5.0

True or allowed only if something else happens

states dependence on conditions without stressing uncertainty or lack of definiteness
dependent upon
vscontingent upon
31 3.4

Something else decides it, for example a condition like the weather

is the same meaning but uses a specific formal phrase
contingent on
vscontingent upon
12 6.4

Dependent on something else or on certain conditions

is the same dependence but uses upon rather than on for formality
hinged
vscontingent upon
4.3

Depends on one main thing or condition

expresses the same dependence but prefers a formal phrase over that collocation

Antonyms

984 2.3

Not controlled by others

How Dependent

contingent upon
6 6.4
subject
311 4.7
causal factor
  • Specialized
1 4.5
independent
984 2.3

Surface Forms

contingent upon positive

Morphology

contingent + upon

The meaning 'dependent on certain conditions' is directly and compositionally derived from 'contingent' (conditional/determined by circumstances) plus the preposition 'upon' (based on). This adjective + preposition pattern mirrors cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. 'dependent on'), so a learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Contingent upon comes from the simple idea of one thing resting on another: the first thing is contingent upon the second, so it 'depends on' it. That's why when something is contingent upon a condition, it only happens 'if' that condition is met.