conditional

English

Alternative forms

• conditionall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French condicionel (French conditionnel).

Noun

conditional (plural conditionals)

1. (grammar) A conditional sentence; a statement that depends on a condition being true or false.
2. (grammar) The conditional mood.
3. (logic) A statement that one sentence is true if another is.

   "A implies B" is a conditional.

   • L. H. Atwater

     Disjunctives may be turned into conditionals.

4. (computing, programming) An instruction that branches depending on the truth of a condition at that point.

   if and while are conditionals in some programming languages.

5. (obsolete) A limitation.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (in logic): if-then statement; material conditional

Meronyms

• (in logic): antecedent
• (in logic): consequent

Translations

statement

• Bulgarian: условие (bg) n (uslovie)
• Finnish: ehtolause (fi), konditionaalilause

• German: Konditional (de) n
• Russian: условие (ru) n (uslóvije)

mood

• Bulgarian: условно наклонение n (uslovno naklonenie)
• Catalan: condicional (ca) m
• Dutch: voorwaardelijke wijs (nl) m
• Estonian: tingiv
• Finnish: ehtotapa (fi), konditionaali (fi)
• French: conditionnel (fr) m

• German: Konditional (de) n
• Jèrriais: conditionnel m
• Romansch: cundiziunal m
• Russian: условное наклонение (uslóvnoje naklonénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: modh cumhach m
• Spanish: condicional (es) m

in logic

• Bulgarian: условие (bg) n (uslovie)

• Finnish: ehto (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: conditionnel (fr) m
• Latin: condicionalis m
• Portuguese: condicional (pt) m
• Spanish: condicional (es) m
• Swedish: konditionalis

Adjective

conditional (not comparable)

1. Limited by a condition.

   I made my son a conditional promise: I would buy him a bike if he kept his room tidy.

   • Bishop Warburton

     Every covenant of God with man […] may justly be made (as in fact it is made) with this conditional punishment annexed and declared.

2. (logic) Stating that one sentence is true if another is.

   "A implies B" is a conditional statement.

   • Whately

     A conditional proposition is one which asserts the dependence of one categorical proposition on another.

3. (grammar) Expressing a condition or supposition.

   a conditional word, mode, or tense

Synonyms

• conditioned
• relative
• limited
• (in logic): hypothetical

Antonyms

• absolute
• unconditional

Derived terms

• conditional entropy
• conditional probability
• conditional proof

Translations

limited by a condition

• Bulgarian: условен (bg) (usloven)
• Catalan: condicional (ca)
• Dutch: voorwaardelijk (nl)
• Finnish: ehdollinen
• Greek: υποθετικός (el) (ypothetikós)
• Japanese: 条件付き
• Latin: condiciōnālis

• Maltese: kundizzjonali
• Romanian: condițional (ro)
• Romansch: cundiziunal
• Russian: условный (ru) (uslóvnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cumhach
• Turkish: şartlı (tr), koşullu (tr)

in logic

• Bulgarian: условен (bg) (usloven)
• Catalan: condicional (ca)
• Finnish: ehdollinen

• Maltese: kundizzjonali
• Russian: условный (ru) (uslóvnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cumhach