definition contingent
1. countable noun. 1  A contingent of police, soldiers, or military vehicles is a group of them. 2  A contingent is a group of people representing a country or organization at a meeting or other event. 3  If something is contingent on something else, the first thing depends on the second in order to happen or exist. [formal] In effect, growth is contingent on improved incomes for the mass of the low-income population. Synonyms: chance, random, casual, uncertain More Synonyms of contingent.