contingent
adjective
[ kənˈtɪndʒ(ə)nt ]
• subject to chance.
• "the contingent nature of the job"
Similar:
chance,
accidental,
fortuitous,
possible,
unforeseen,
unforeseeable,
unexpected,
unpredicted,
unpredictable,
unanticipated,
unlooked-for,
random,
haphazard,
• occurring or existing only if (certain circumstances) are the case; dependent on.
• "his fees were contingent on the success of his search"
Similar:
dependent,
conditional,
subject to,
based on,
determined by,
hingeing on,
resting on,
hanging on,
controlled by,
contingent
noun
• a group of people sharing a common feature, forming part of a larger group.
• "a contingent of Japanese businessmen attending a conference"
Similar:
group,
party,
body,
band,
set,
deputation,
delegation,
mission,
detachment,
unit,
division,
squadron,
section,
company,
corps,
cohort,
bunch,
gang,
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘of uncertain occurrence’): from Latin contingere ‘befall’, from con- ‘together with’ + tangere ‘to touch’. The noun sense was originally ‘something happening by chance’, then ‘a person's share resulting from a division, a quota’; the current sense dates from the early 18th century.
