con·di·tion·al
kən-ˈdish-nəl 
-ˈdi-shə-nᵊl
1
: subject to, implying, or dependent upon a condition
a conditional promise
2
: expressing, containing, or implying a supposition
the conditional clause if he speaks
3
a
: true only for certain values of the variables or symbols involved
conditional equations
b
: stating the case when one or more random variables are fixed or one or more events are known
conditional frequency distribution
4
a
: conditioned sense 2
conditional reflex
conditional response
b
: established by conditioning as the stimulus eliciting a conditional response
1
: a conditional word, clause, verb form, or morpheme
Examples of conditional in a Sentence
Adjective
“If she speaks, you must listen” is a conditional sentence.
The sentence contains the conditional clause “if she speaks.”
Noun
The clause “if she speaks” is a conditional.
The conditional is often marked by the word “if.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025
The Jets gave the Packers a 2023 second-rounder, a 2023 sixth-rounder and a conditional 2024 second-rounder that would have become a first-round pick if Rodgers had played 65% of the snaps in 2024.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
Todd Prussman, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
An unconditional discharge is a sentence that does not impose any punishment, fine, or conditionals on a defendant after a conviction.
—Katherine Fung, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conditional
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Adjective
Outrage follows conditional release of CT cannibal killer.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025
The Jets gave the Packers a 2023 second-rounder, a 2023 sixth-rounder and a conditional 2024 second-rounder that would have become a first-round pick if Rodgers had played 65% of the snaps in 2024.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
Firefighters battled frigid conditionals and tight quarters in East Boston this morning after a 3-alarm fire broke out on Saratoga Street.
—Todd Prussman, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
An unconditional discharge is a sentence that does not impose any punishment, fine, or conditionals on a defendant after a conviction.
—Katherine Fung, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conditional
Cite this Entry
“Conditional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conditional. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
conditional
adjective
con·di·tion·al
kən-ˈdish-nəl, -ən-ᵊl
1
a
: conditioned
conditional reflex
conditional response
b
: eliciting a conditional response
a conditional stimulus
2
: permitting survival only under special growth or environmental conditions
conditional lethal mutations
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